Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 30585
Specify spacing before and after paragraph in line height
Last modified: 2013-02-07 22:40:33 UTC
Should be able to specify spacing before and after a paragraph in alternate systems of measurement (lines, points, pixels, etc.) For instance, I am working on a template for screenwriting and the formatting rules are very specific. One blank line following a transition, one blank line following a scene header, and so on. It would be nice to be able to enter '1li' to specify a line after the para and just have the software work out how high that is supposed to be based on the point size of the font of the given element. Sometimes, it might be useful to be able to specify the spacing as a point measurement by entering '12pts' or perhaps even pixels (which usually equate to points, but not always). For European users, it might even be necessary to specify in millimeters or other metric systems of measurement.
-> drivingmenuts: it's already possible entering the desired measurement unit in the field: in, cm, mm, px ,pt. So, most of your issue is invalid. I just keep it for "lines".
It is possible to define a line spacing to "single" or "double". It would be nice to have such a feature for spacing before and after paragraphe. Proposal: create a nea measurement unit "lines" abbrev. "li" which could be used like this: Spacing before: 2li Spacing after 2,5li
One thing I noticed is that measurement unit is converted to whatever the local system of measurement is (presumably). For instance, I enter '20mm' spacing after a para and it is converted to 0.79", which is correct, but doesn't seem the right way to handle it, especially if the measurement for 'lines' is added. By the current methodology, 1 line would get converted to some measurement based on the current point size, but would not change if the type point size changes. The correct method (for lines only) would be to maintain 1 absolute line regardless of point size. The single and double spacing doesn't quite cover the situation as it needs to be since screenplays are often single spaced, but with 1 absolute line of space between elements. For reference on screenplay measurements, see http://www.oscars.org/nicholl/format_a.txt. This is a screenplay converted to a text file but the look is correct. Most screenplay writing software will handle adding in the blank lines automatically as part of the element.
es said: "it's already possible entering the desired measurement unit in the field: in, cm, mm, px ,pt." Yes but it is immediately converted to the main unit. For example, I have cm as my main unit. When I enter para spacing as 12pt in OOo, it becomes 0.42cm and then displays as 11,9pt in MS Word, which may not make a physical difference but... Letting rounding errors sneak in is not good.
To grep the issues easier via "requirements" I put the issues currently lying on my owner to the owner "requirements".