Anchoring Graphics in OOo
Anchoring graphics can be a tricky business. OOo offers four different options for the anchoring of graphics. This page hopes to give a simple overview of the options and show examples.
From the user's list. The thread starts with this message which can be found at http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=users&msgId=1618882.
Tamblyne -- tamblyne at digital-daybook.com -- wrote on 11/28/2004 @ 10:11 PM:
Hi, Guys --
While I'll admit previous discussions about graphics problems have made my eyes glaze over, as to date my needs have been basic, this problem is completely throwing me. I'm sure the solution is a simple one -- but searches of Google, OOoAuthors and the Docs project have been fruitless -- but I DO know what kind of graphics card I must have! <g>
I need to anchor a graphic either to or as a character. I go to Format > Graphics > Type tab (yes, I got that far <g>) and change the anchor, but --
I can't get the little booger where I want it! Trying to move it around is like trying to herd cats (not necessarily a bad thing if productivity isn't an issue <g>) -- the default is to paragraph --
How do I either change the default (no joy in styles or tools) OR move it where I want it? I did find an issue where it is suggested that the default SHOULD BE to character -- but there's no discussion in that issue as to how to accomplish this.
Thanks!
Jeff -- shrowder at uniting.com.au -- wrote on 11/30/2004 at 11:53 PM:
http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=users&msgNo=79480
Tamblyne
I gotta admit that the default (anchor to para) suits me 90% of the time, it keeps the graphics close to the text it relates to despite any edits to the text. However, if I want the graphic to "stay put" on a page I use anchor to page. Yes, the graphic usually takes a bit of a walk at that stage, but then I return it to where I want it and it stays put.
Anchor to page has its 'anchor point' (or whatever the technical term is for that little greyed-out anchor thingy) in the top left corner of the page. Anchor to Paragraph associates the little thingy with some yet-to-be-worked-out point on the left margin.
Never tried anchor as/to character before your query, but I've just been playing around with it - only a tad, mind. Anchor to character seems to do just that. On a page with text mostly on the left half and a graphic approx. 3cm square on the right margin, the anchor thingy attached itself to the last character of text on the line closest to the top left corner of the graphic.(The graphic itself stayed where it was supposed to.) Now, changing that setting to Anchor as Character and it attaches to the same graphic BUT at the mid-point between the top and bottom of the graphic, like it was an oversized character. The Help file entry describes the effect well:
'Anchors the selected item as a character in the current text. If the height of the selected item is greater than the current font size, the height of the line containing the item is increased.'
Cheers,
Jeff
Moses -- bjbm at iinet.net.au -- wrote on 11/28/2004 at 10:48 PM:
http://www.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=users&msgNo=79479
Anchoring a graphic as a character makes it behave rather like a character of the same physical size. You can only move it to places where you could put a character, and by the same means. It acts like a funny character from another character set.
If you want to move it around, then either anchor it to a paragraph or to the page.
Anchoring to a paragraph allows the graphic to move down as you insert more text above it, anchoring to the page requires you to position it manually..
To a character - acts like a character.
To a paragraph - acts like a paragraph.
Of course the wrap mode used will affect this also.
Brian
On the author's list...
Jean Hollis Weber -- jean at taming-openoffice-org.com -- wrote on 11/29/2004 at 3:15 PM:
http://user-faq.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=authors&msgId=1623173
While editing with some of the chapters that have been written for the V1.x guide, I've found that often graphics move away from their intended location, sometimes overlapping each other when they do so.
Many graphics, including most screenshots, are intended to appear between two paragraphs of text, with no text wrapped to one side or the other of the graphic itself. The best way to anchor these graphics so that they stay where you want them in the sequence of paragraphs, is this:
I'll be putting these tips on the Authors website for future reference. If anyone has something to add, please do so -- I don't claim to know everything about making graphics behave!
Cheers, Jean
Jean Hollis Weber
Ian Lauremson -- -- responded in text on 11/29/2004 at 4:19 PM:
http://user-faq.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=authors&msgNo=4963
Just a very quick 2c worth - in line.
On Tue, 2004-11-30 at 10:15, Jean Hollis Weber wrote:
>While editing with some of the chapters that have been written for the V1.x
>guide, I've found that often graphics move away from their intended
> location, sometimes overlapping each other when they do so.
>
> Many graphics, including most screenshots, are intended to appear between
> two paragraphs of text, with no text wrapped to one side or the other of
> the graphic itself. The best way to anchor these graphics so that they stay
> where you want them in the sequence of paragraphs, is this:
>
> 1) Make a blank paragraph. Put the cursor in this paragraph (just before
> the paragraph mark) and insert the graphic there.
>
> 2) The default anchor for a graphic appears to be "to paragraph" and I
> haven't found a way to change this default. So, to anchor the graphic
> properly, right-click on it and choose Anchor > As character.
>
Often screen shots have captions and callouts. When a graphic that is anchored as character is given a caption (e.g. Right click > insert caption), a frame is placed around the graphic and a new paragraph with the caption. The frame is still anchored as character. In theory if you have the cursor in the frame then add a callout, the callout should be anchored to that paragraph in the frame but it is not, they are anchored to a paragraph in the main document. (I confess that I haven't checked IZ for this issue, nor have I checked the developer releases.)
The workaround that I use is:
I then format the callout as desired.
For additional callouts, I copy the callout created above and paste new callouts, changing the text and locations.
>This approach seems to keep the callouts correctly positioned.
> The only problem with this technique is this: IF the graphic is too big to
> fit in the space left on the page, it will go to the next page (reasonable
> behavior) and often changes size and attaches itself to the wrong paragraph
> (not reasonable; probably a bug). When this happens, I use this workaround:
>
> 1) Delete the graphic and then add a bunch of blank paragraphs until one is
> at the top of the next page.
>
> 2) Insert the graphic into this blank paragraph and anchor it "as character".
>
> 3) Delete the extra blank paragraphs you've just inserted. (This prevents
> layout problems later if you add or delete text.)
>
An alternative that I use, having discovered that the "anchored as character graphic" is not where I want it to be, is to cut the graphic, position the cursor where I want it and paste.
> If you need to have text beside the graphic, it's often a good idea to use
> a two-cell, one-row table, rather than wrapping the text around the graphic.
>
To me this depends on the scenario. If the text to the side is directly related to the graphic, and thus they should always be side by side, then I definitely agree. But, if the text is simply wrapping the graphic for efficient use of space (think magazine article) then I am less certain.
Quotes, suggestions, questions, and answers have been quoted and cited from many places and have been greatly appreciated.
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Last edited 21 June 2006