On 1 March 2010 09:21, Ken Heard <[email protected]> wrote: > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > Hash: SHA1 > > Harold Fuchs wrote: > > On 1 March 2010 05:31, Ken Heard <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > <snip> > > > > > >> > 1) Styles can be based on other styles. The "default" style is the > base > >>> for many other styles. The advantage is that you can make a change to > >>> the underlying style and it will cascade through the styles based on > >>> that style. > >> Yes I found that out. I also discovered that I can change the default > >> style for a given document, and that style as changed is saved with that > >> document. I had assumed that the default default style, so to speak, > >> would be changed as well. I soon found out that I was incorrect, that > >> after OOo is first opened but before a specific document is opened, the > >> default style is as it is set up by OOo, not as I had changed it for a > >> specific document. > >> > > > > This is not quite right. Here is where we get into "templates". A > template > > is a (usually*) empty document with a variety of customised styles > defined. > > You can have many different templates and, when you want to create a new > > document, you can choose the one you want. One of your templates can be > > defined as the "default" template. This is the one that gets used when > you > > simply click "New Document". If you don't define your own *default* > template > > then the one that gets used is the one that came with OOo; this is your > > "default default" template. All documents are based on one or other > > template. When you open an existing document, it is opened "under the > > control of" whichever template was in force at the time it was last > saved. > > > > I currently have 4 special templates defined: > > > > - "Filofax" style pages. Four "pages" per sheet of paper, defined by > > linked frames, with borders showing where to cut and circles showing > where > > to punch the holes. > > - Mini Filofax pages. Eight smaller pages per sheet similar to above. > > - Letterhead. The first "page" defines a DL envelope with my name and > > address in a very small font in the top left corner; the second page > is the > > actual letterhead with my address and "today's" date. > > - A5 portrait on A4 (European standard) landscape. An A4 page in > > landscape orientation with two *columns* of A5 portrait separated by a > line > > to show where to cut. > > > > * Templates are usually empty but, as you can see from my templates, this > is > > not necessary. My letterhead is an example of a non-empty template. > > Yes, I found that out and am doing that. One of my templates has some > text in it, as well as fields the values for which are in the document > properties. > > > Styles and templates are probably the two most important concepts to > > understand as you use OOo, well worth the effort. > > Because of their importance I am doing my best to learn them. > > Ken Heard > > I think I may have been confusingly imprecise. In English, a template is a document. In OOo-speak it isn't and I should have used OOo-speak. You *can* create an empty document with customised styles and save it as a *document* which you can then use almost as if it were a template. One problem with this is that if you accidently save the thing with text in it then you just changed your "template". When you create a "real" template, you save it as a *template* and "register" it as such. Now, when you create a document from it you can simply save the document and the template won't be affected. Documents have ".odt" extensions; templates have ".ott". To change a template you need to follow a (deliberately) different procedure.
-- Harold Fuchs London, England Please reply *only* to [email protected]
