OOo Off the Wall: Getting in the Frame

Frame styles are the least understood style type in OpenOffice.org Writer. Many users get by without using them or even knowing what they are. Doing so it easy for users, because OpenOffice.org uses frame styles automatically. Users may position frames, but most do not format them. For simple documents, ignoring frames is a reasonable strategy. Frame styles have defaults that are reasonable, if not always ideal, for most purposes.

The more complex your documents, however, the more you should know about how to use frame styles. The number of options available are extensive enough that you can fine-tune a frame's look and behavior almost as much as you can in a desktop publishing program. You even can add blank frames (also called text frames) and arrange them so that text flows automatically from one frame to another. This feature allows the automation of complicated layouts, such as folded brochures or newsletters in which a story begins on one page and ends on the next. Beyond a doubt, knowing how to format text frames can give your document design an extra edge.

When an object is added to Writer, it automatically is enclosed in a frame of a pre-determined type. The frame sets how the object is placed on the page, as well as how it interacts with other elements in the document. You can edit the frame by modifying the frame style it uses or by using a manual override when a frame is added to the document.

Because frames and objects are used together, it sometimes is easy to forget they are separate elements. In some cases, such as charts, you can edit the frame and object separately, so the distinction is worth remembering.

Unlike other elements that use styles, frames can be defined only partly by their style because their use can vary so much. Several different elements of frames, such as the anchor and the protected elements, need to be defined manually for individual frames.

You can format a frame manually when you select Insert - > Frames. The screen that opens contains all the settings available when frame styles are set up, as well as those available only when the frame is inserted. As with other styles, the most efficient way to format frames is in the Stylist, available from Format -> Stylist or by pressing the F11 key.

Because OpenOffice.org does not allow you to define page styles with recurring frames, consider doing some quick sketches of the basic page layouts you need, indicating the approximate positions of different frames and their purposes. Try to keep the number of different page layouts as low as possible in order to avoid chaos in your design.

You also should decide whether to design with sections or frames. Sections and frames both can be used for inserting pieces in a document that are formatted differently from the rest. Frames have the advantages of offering more design options and being managed as styles, but sections are quicker to set up and can be hidden. If formatting and revision are important in the document, then frames probably are the better choice. Otherwise, you can use sections, which are available with Insert -> Sections.

If you are using a mix of graphics, you may want to define two related styles, one with a border line for graphics with white backgrounds that will be printed on a white page and one without for all other backgrounds. You also may want to design one or more frames for text only.

Otherwise, the default frame styles (listed in the table below) cover most user's needs. The only significant addition to the default styles that most users might need is one or more styles for text frames.

Pay special attention to the positioning of frames. Many of the pre-defined styles default to a center alignment. This is the lowest common denominator of design; centering all frames looks reasonably good in most cases, but is rarely the best choice. One of the most visually effective ways to position a frame is to have its left margin align with that of the paragraph above it. To achieve this effect, insert the frame in a blank paragraph of the same style as the paragraph above. Then, select Type -> Position -> Horizontal -> From Left to position the frame exactly where you want it.

You also should think about the type of wrap and the spacing between the frame and text. Instead of cramming a frame close to the text, use the Wrap tab to place some white space between them.