Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 5:56 am Post subject: Unable to group image and text box in Writer (works in Draw)
While testing (latest release 2.2.3 patch 1), I found the following problem (to which others couldn't find a real solution either), as noted in my other post:
kabelmeister wrote:
Hi all,
I have a similar problem. I want to group a text box to an image (so that the box with the descriptive text stays together with the image when it is moved).
In Writer, I can group different text boxes together without problems, but I can't group a text box (or several text boxes or, actually, any object such as a line, arrow, ...) to an image.
I have tried all menus, context menus and buttons and the procedure described above, but can't get satisfying results. I think I can summarise the bug/problem as follows:
* In Writer, one cannot group an image with any other object.
* In Draw, one can group an image with other objects (such as text boxes).
* One can create a group consisting of an image and another object (text box) in Draw, then select the group, copy it to the clipboard and paste it into a Writer document. One can then enter the group there and make changes to the textbox, but one cannot edit the image anymore (i.e. one cannot get the context menu for images anymore that one normally gets when right-clicking onto an image; this menu however is needed, e.g., for resizing the image, altering the link reference etc.).
*I.e. one has to choose between having
*an image and a textbox ungrouped (created in Writer), with the ability to modify the image, or
* an image and a textbox grouped (created with Draw), without the ability to modify the image.
I'd say this is a bug, right? Should I report it? How?
Or is there any way to group a text box to an image in Writer?
It would be great to either be able to group an image and a text box in Writer, or to be able to do it in Draw, copy the group over and be able to adjust the image afterwards (after entering the group).
Microsoft Word can do the grouping of images and text boxes without problems, by the way. I am going to download OpenOffice.org for Mac now to see if this a limitation of NeoOffice or the OpenOffice.org core in general.
Please let me know if I should post this in another forum/place.
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 7:40 am Post subject: Re: Unable to group image and text box in Writer (works in D
kabelmeister wrote:
Microsoft Word can do the grouping of images and text boxes without problems, by the way. I am going to download OpenOffice.org for Mac now to see if this a limitation of NeoOffice or the OpenOffice.org core in general.
I have just tested, the same behaviour occurs with OpenOffice.org, so it is a general limitation. Too bad...
I think in the copy process from Draw to Writer, the image loses its "image property" and is regarded as a general object instead. That's why several options in the context menu are missing that are useful for an image, such as cropping options.
Joined: Jun 20, 2006 Posts: 2051 Location: Midwest, USA
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:09 am Post subject:
Have you tried using an OLE object in Writer? That would retain all the Draw tools for the object. It is slow, however. After you double click on the OLE object, you have to wait for Neo to reset to the Draw toolbars. And then wait again when you click back into the Writer environment of the document.
Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:49 pm Post subject: I will probably group objects in Draw, then copy to Writer
As noted in the other thread (sorry for the confusion/two threads):
Quote:
Your idea with the OLE is good, I will try. The switching in the UI between Draw and Calc which takes some time is probably not ideal, but I will have to see for myself.
I think in the end I will go for the option to just create the image with the text boxes in Draw and group them there, then copy the group over to Writer. I believe losing the image property is a drawback I can tolerate most easily (compared to those of the other options), while still having a nice workflow.
Anyway, thank you for all your help and good suggestions!
I have read some more in the OpenOffice.org forums, and this seems to have been a known problem/feature for some time. I'll see if I can add this as a feature request to OpenOffice.org. I think in this case Microsoft Word really does a better job regarding usability and logic. The behaviour in OpenOffice.org, especially the differences between Writer and Draw, is not very logical and unexpected for many users.
I had the same problem. But I discovered this sort of a workaround:
Put the TEXT and the IMAGE in the same FRAME...
Doing that would keep the two items together whichever position in the document you transfer them to, and still idependently retain their own properties. And you also retain the ability to edit the Image.
Is this what you would like to happen after the "supposed grouping"?
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