Multi-column text in *Draw*

fmoore · Pure-blooded Human Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 38

I know how to do multi-column text in Writer, but I want to do the same thing for a small block of text in Draw.

Specifically, I'm constructing a CD template where the CD contents will consist of a fairly large number (~30-50) of entries. I want to place a text block in the middle of the back of the CD cover with all the entries in, say, 8pt type; but I'll need 2 columns to make it fit in a reasonable manner. This is easy in Freehand, but I can't figure it out in Draw.

I toyed with a floating frame, but that seems to require a link to a specific file, and I just want to be able to type in whatever entries there are at the time for each new CD.

Thanks for any help; and NeoOffice really IS the greatest thing since sliced bread, especially v2.1. It amazes me how much more inclined I am to use NeoO when that gray, oppressive, hyperrectalinearity is removed. THANK YOU for all your great work!

--Fred

yoxi · Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:59 pm Post subject:

Perhaps this is too obvious, but... 2 frames, side by side? I'm not sure if there's a more fundamental way to put text in columns in draw, but this has got to be the easiest.

- padmavyuha

fmoore · Pure-blooded Human Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 38

Lorinda · Posted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:54 pm Post subject:

If you link them, they should flow one from the other.

fmoore · Pure-blooded Human Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 38

fmoore · Pure-blooded Human Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 38

Well, Lorinda, I read through the help on links, and now I'm thoroughly confused. Under the Help item 'Inserting Hyperlinks' it says:
'To jump to a specific line in a text document, first enter a bookmark at that position (Insert - Bookmark).'

However, there is no Bookmark command under Insert in Draw or in any contextual menu I can bring up. Even if there were, I'm not sure how to make this work. Do I put a bookmark at the end of text block 1 and a hyperlink to it at the beginning of text block 2, or vice versa? I'm assuming here that whatever bookmark I create will have the necessary info I can copy to the Target in Document->Target field, right?

Any further assistance will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

--Fred

Lorinda · Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 10:45 am Post subject:

Fred,

"Link" is used several different ways in NeoOffice. You don't want hyperlinks, you want linked frames.

Try entering "frames;linking" (without the quotes) into the Neo's Help window; that should get you to the instructions on linking frames.

Lorinda

fmoore · Pure-blooded Human Joined: Sep 14, 2004 Posts: 38

Thanks for responding, Lorinda, and redirecting my efforts.

I searched and read the help files for every instance of 'frame', 'link', 'text', and 'column' I could find with no luck. I can only conclude that this is not possible within a Draw text box. The only references to columns refer to delcaring them in the Format->Page... definition in Writer. In Draw, there is no column option in the Page... window.

If you know of some reference I missed, I'm all ears. Thanks again for taking an interest.

--Fred

Lorinda · Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2007 5:02 pm Post subject:

My apologies, Fred. I was working too quickly and lost track of the fact that you are trying to do this in Draw. The frame linking I was thinking of is possible in Writer.

If you are working with CD cases, you might want to take a look at the package of templates that aussie149 mentions in this thread I downloaded it the other day, and there are several templates for CD jackets, etc. At least one of them has been done in Writer and might be adaptable to your purposes

There are some other sources of templates listed in the wiki.