FAQ: Text Overflow and Linking in Writer [OpenOffice Frames]

Written By: stephanie on July 13, 2009 1 Comment

I read recently in a forum that someone was having an issue with overflow text, and while I’m not sure that this answers their question 100%, I think the use of frames in OpenOffice might get them pointed in the right direction.

Insert -> Frame is the command to insert a frame, and depending on your needs, you may wish to make it autosize, or set the specific size.

Where the reader’s requirements are satisfied is in the ‘Options’ tab of the Frames Properties box, which allows the previous and following frames to be set, allowing text to flow in a newsletter-style fashion from one box to another.

See the Options tab in the picture below, where Frame 2 has a predecessor of Frame 1, and a successor of Frame 3.

The options tab in the Frame Properties box

The flow of the frames can be adjusted any way you wish.

Flow of text from one frame to another

Click on the link below to access the Writer file that has this implemented, and fiddle away. Remember that the text tool is only supposed to be a textbox-style tool, and frames are better suited to layout and formatting.

Frames Sample File