Working with Master Documents and Subdocuments

A master document lets you manage large documents, such as a book with many chapters. The master document can be seen as a container for individual Collabora Office Writer files. The individual files are called subdocuments.

To Create a Master Document

Do one of the following:

Choose File - New - Master Document.
Open an existing document and choose File - Send - Create Master Document.

If you are creating a new master document, the first entry in the Navigator should be a Text entry. Type an introduction or enter some text. This ensures that after having edited an existing style in the master document, you see the changed style when viewing the subdocuments.
In the Navigator for master documents (should open automatically, else press F5 to open), click and hold the Insert icon, and do one of the following:

To insert an existing file as a subdocument, choose File, locate the file that you want to include, and then click OK.
To create a new subdocument, choose New Document, type a name for the file, and then click Save.
To insert some text between subdocuments, choose Text. Then type the text. You cannot insert text next to an existing text entry in the Navigator.

Choose File - Save.

To Edit a Master Document

Use the Navigator for rearranging and editing the subdocuments in a master document.

To open a subdocument for editing, double-click the name of the subdocument in the Navigator.

To remove a subdocument from the master document, right-click the subdocument in the Navigator list and choose Delete. The subdocument file is not deleted, only the entry in the Navigator is removed.

To add text to a master document, right-click an item in the Navigator list, and then choose Insert - Text. A text section is inserted before the selected item in the master document where you can type the text that you want. You cannot insert text next to an existing text entry in the Navigator.

To reorder the subdocuments in a master document, drag a subdocument to a new location in the Navigator list. You can also select a subdocument in the list, and click the Move down or Move up icon.

To add an index, such as a table of contents, right-click in the Navigator list, and then choose Insert - Index.

To update an index in a master document, select the index in the Navigator, and then click the Update icon.

When you insert an object like a frame or a picture into a master document, do not anchor the object "to page". Instead, set the anchor "to paragraph" on the Format - (Object type) - Type tab page, and then set the object's position relative to "Entire Page" in the Horizontal and Vertical list boxes.

To Start Each Subdocument on a New Page

Ensure that each subdocument starts with a heading that uses the same paragraph style, for example "Heading 1".
In the master document, choose View - Styles, and click the Paragraph Styles icon.
Right-click "Heading 1" and choose Modify.
Click the Text Flow tab.
In the Breaks area, select Insert, and then select “Page”in the Type box.
If you want each subdocument to start on an odd page, select With Page Style, and select "Right page" in the box.
Click OK.

To Export a Master Document as a Collabora Office Text Document

Choose File - Export.
In the File format list, select a text document file format and click Export.

The subdocuments will be exported as sections. Use Format - Sections to unprotect and remove sections, if you prefer a plain text document without sections.

Indexes Covering Several Documents

Navigator in master mode