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openoffice -- alternating between double-column and single-column pages

Asked by Raymond McInnis

using openoffice, i'm doing a mock-up for the publisher of my "self-published" book.

the book is on furniture design in victorian britain. my chosen format is double-columned pages, with text, images and working drawings. this double-column format is easy enough.

but -- as sort of "super-sidebar" pages -- i would like to occasionally have single-columned pages -- even-numbered, on the verso side, i.e., on the book's left-hand side, facing the odd-numbered page on the reader's right-hand side, (when the book is opened flat on a table)

if there is a method of alternating between double-column and single-column in a single file, the formula has eluded me.

i started using scribus, where the alternating single- and double-columns can be done, but scribus is not stable enough for my needs, and i find that, using scribus, you cannot consistently export your files to pdf format.

can anyone on this discussion board suggest a work-around for single- and double-columned pages in open office?

Tony's answer was good, except that a glitch exists in the location where you assign a command for a new "columns" page begins -- that is, the ideal -- a single column page follows right next to a double-column page. i still am working out whether, in assigning the number of desired columns, you begin the instructions on the last completed page, or do you move to the next page?

regardless, thanks, Tony!

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Tony Pursell (ajpursell) said : 		#1

Hi Raymond

This sort of thing is best handled with Styles. The Default page style is best left as the 'single column' style, the you can create a new page style called, say, DoubleCol, based on Default, but with double column layout.

F11 will bring up the Styles & Formatting. Page Styles is the fourth icon in from the left. Right click default, select New, and in the screen that comes up set the name on the Organiser tab and the columns on the Columns tab.

Probably the best way to change styles in this instance is to do Insert > Manual Break, select Page Break and set the Style to follow the break. There are other ways to set the style.

Hope that helps.

Tony

PS If this answers your question, please mark it as Solved.

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Tony Pursell (ajpursell) said : 		#2

Raymond

Assignment of Page styles can be a bit fickle. If you find that assignment of a new page style to page number n causes you to lose the page style for page n+1, even though you have assigned a style to page n+1 when you inserted a page break at the start of it, then put the cursor in front of the first character on the page, hit backspace to delete the page break and immediately reinsert the page break with the correct page style. That will usually correct it.

Tony

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Tony Pursell (ajpursell) said : 		#3

And another tip...

There is an indicator of the Current Page Style on the Status line at the bottom of the page. If you right click it, you get a list of page styles to change the current page to.

Tony

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