[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 144415] New: Formatting: Indentations or Tab Stops of Outline Levels

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=144415

            Bug ID: 144415
           Summary: Formatting:  Indentations or Tab Stops of Outline
                    Levels
           Product: LibreOffice
           Version: 7.1.5.2 release
          Hardware: x86-64 (AMD64)
                OS: Windows (All)
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: normal
          Priority: medium
         Component: Writer
          Assignee: libreoffice-bugs at lists.freedesktop.org
          Reporter: forum-subs at mediacombb.net

Created attachment 174930
  --> https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/attachment.cgi?id=174930&action=edit
5 screenshots, 3 of LibreOffice & 2 of another word processor's simplicity

Hello.  The current version 7.1.5.2 of LibreOffice Writer has a very
complicated way of setting up the indentations of an outline when the text has
to be indented for each outline level.  Maybe it's been this way many versions
going back in time but this is the first version I've used after recently
downloading it.  For as many years as computers have been around, and for the
triumph that LibreOffice makes itself sound to be over typical office suites,
it is surprising that the indentations or tab stops of each outline level have
to be figured out by either measuring with a tape measure or ruler, or else by
trial-and-error of first trying a set of distances and then typing test
paragraphs and printing it out to see how they look and then using a ruler to
determine the necessary corrections.  Because the visual representation
underneath all those fields in the Bullets And Numbering dialog on the tab
"Position" aren't a true and exact representation.

It would seem that a very workable solution would be to let the user decide on
whatever tab interval they want and let that be in the paragraph style, then
the number itself of each outline level is simply placed at each subsequent tab
stop.  Then, the simplicity of what I am suggesting is that the text for each
outline level is indented to the subsequent tab stop following the number, at
whatever inch/centimeter distance that would happen to be at since the tab
stops are in the style.  Just automatically, the text is indented to the next
tab stop following the number, automatically, without anything having to be
specified in the dialog of "Bullets And Numbering" on the tab of "Position". 
Actually, this suggestion of mine of indenting of text automatically to the
next tab stop following the outline level number, makes that tab of "Position"
to be unnecessary, just delete that tab from the dialog, and get those
indenting measurements for each outline level from the tabs that are set in the
Paragraph Syle.  Yes it would be many changes in the programming source code,
but holy crap would this ever be a huge improvement in simplicity and ease of
use. :-)

If the outline level number is, for example, "3.4.1.5" then the text is
indented to the tab stop that comes after that number, whatever that tab stop
would be since it is in the Paragraph Style.

The attached Zipfile has 5 screenshots:
1) The end results of an outline's numbering/position settings.
2) Outline Level 3 in the dialog.  If a number greater than zero is used for
the indent, why not use that as the distance of the tab stop after the end of
the outline level number?
3) Outline Level 4 in the dialog.  Why can't at least using zero mean to keep
the text indented at the tab stop that follows the outline level number?  This
really is very complex and time consuming.  None of these fields have to be
used to accomplish a good looking outline, so even that suggestion is
unnecessary.

4) Another word processor's dialog and its simplicity.
5) The end results of that other word processor's simple dialog, without having
to calculate and type in measurements into a bunch of fields for each separate
outline level.

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