Overwriting styles

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MommaBear

I think I'm failing to understand something basic.

I'm producing a book that will be published both as an ebook and on paper.

For the ebook, I want a ragged right edge, but for the paper book, I want justification.

The book currently exists as an .odt document. I've used LibreOffice styles to format it. The main paragraph style is a modified Text Body Indent, ragged right. In the Scribus template, I've changed that modified Text Body Indent so that it's justified. When I import it into Scribus, I check the box that says: Overwrite paragraph styles. But the text still appears as ragged right. I have to "edit" the text to justify it.

Shouldn't the Scribus justified style overwrite the LibreOffice ragged right style?


utnik

hi mommabear

if you overwrite an existing style, the original definitions from the scribus file disappear, but the imported style will persist. this function is used to keep the formatting from the .odt file – your intention is the opposite one...

       
  • import your text, but keep all the styles (no overwriting)
  • change the style of the respective paragraphs or edit the style definitions
if you've defined the new style settings and won't keep the old paragraph style any more, there's a shortcut:

       
  • open the 'styles' palette (f3)
  • right click the imported paragraph style and select 'delete'
  • im the appearing window you can select another style as a replacement...
utnik

MommaBear

Quote from: utnik on March 05, 2016, 09:24:04 AM
your intention is the opposite one

:-[

Thanks for not dismissing me as an idiot.

I played around with not overwriting styles until I managed to crash Scribus--first time that's  happened!

Thing is, this is quite a long document. I've broken it into many smaller files. 20 chapters = 20 files. So the less modifying I have to do after import is important. Worse, I'll have to do another version of this book--same styles, different text--2 years from now. I'll never remember everything.

So what I want are distinct names for the styles. I've done this in LibreOffice, because their default style names are meaningless.

It seems to me the easiest way to go is to create 2 paragraph styles in LibreOffice, one justified, one ragged right, then change styles before I import into Scribus, 20 times. If you have a better suggestion, I'd be most grateful to hear it.

utnik

hi mommabear

Quote from: MommaBear on March 05, 2016, 04:25:58 PMIt seems to me the easiest way to go is to create 2 paragraph styles in LibreOffice, one justified, one ragged right, then change styles before I import into Scribus, 20 times.

you have to apply the new style (adjusted) one time, either in libreOffice or in scribus.
because of the better access to the different font weights, i'm used to do things like that in scribus. (a font like 'exo' supports nine different weights from 'thin' to 'black' – in libreOffice you can switch between 'regular' and 'bold'.)

Quote...I'll have to do another version of this book--same styles, different text--2 years from now. I'll never remember everything.

you should make a template (with comments...)

utnik

MommaBear

Hi utnik:

Quote from: utnik on March 06, 2016, 09:35:39 AM
you have to apply the new style (adjusted) one time, either in libreOffice or in scribus.
because of the better access to the different font weights, i'm used to do things like that in scribus. (a font like 'exo' supports nine different weights from 'thin' to 'black' – in libreOffice you can switch between 'regular' and 'bold'.).

That's a good tip about the fonts. I've put it in my personal Scribus manual.

Quoteyou should make a template (with comments...)

I've been doing that, but there's so many details, I've ended up taking screenshots of the Styles windows, red circles around what I need to change. I'm not complaining about the details, though. If I didn't want details, I'd do the whole thing in LibreOffice and have it look like an amateur production.

Thanks so much for your help.