An Introduction to OOo Writer Frames
What are Frames in OpenOffice.org Writer and How are they Used?
May 6, 2009
Having covered the basics of Using Styles in OpenOffice.org Writer in general, and Page Styles in OOo Writer, the next Type of Style to understand are Frame Styles in OpenOffice.org Writer.
An Introduction to Frame Styles
Frames are used most often as a means of holding text or graphics. In order to maintain a consistent appearance of these containers, use Frame Styles. For example, all photographs in a document could be enclosed in a Frame which has a drop-shadow border, or notes could be placed in Frames in the margin with no borders, but a shaded background.
This list of options is endless, and quickly begins to make the power of Writer for OpenOffice.org as a Desktop Publishing Tool apparent.
OOo Writer comes with several predefined Frame Styles which can be modified as needed, or customized Frame Styles can be easily defined. The method of defining and applying a Frame Style is the same as for other Types of Styles in OpenOffice Writer.
How Frame Styles Work in OOo Writer
When objects are added to Writer documents they automatically wrapped in a Frame. The Frame determines how the object is placed on the page, and how it interacts with other elements in the document. Objects include other OpenOffice.org documents, or graphics, audio and video clips to list but a few – just about anything really.
Frames can be edited by modifying their Frame Style or by using manual override.
Because Frames and objects are used together in such a seamless fashion it can be easy to forget they are separate elements. They are – and in many cases can be edited as such. There are a few definitions of Frames, like the anchor, which must be defined manually on a per-Frame basis, but Styles can still be used for overall control and consistency.
Planning the Frame Styles in OOo Writer:
Since Frame's can seem complex and therefore not worth the hassle, it might be useful to look at the seven predefined Frame Styles in OpenOffice.org Writer, and what each is used for. What follows then is a breakdown of the default Frame Styles which are sufficient to cover most user needs.
- Formula Frame Styles: the default Frame Style used to display formulas includes AutoSize to adjust the Frame to fit the formula.
- Frame Styles: this is the default Frame Style.
- Graphic Frame Styles: a default style for graphics which includes Autosize to fit the graphic, no text wrap, and a thin border around the Frame.
- Label Frame Styles: a default Style used when clicking File > New > Labels on the menu. It is used automatically and not really intended for modifications (though it can be).
- Marginalia Frame Styles: this Style is used to place a Frame along the left margin. The Marginalia Style is intended to hold comments in the margin of a document, but is also useful in creating “sideheads” (headings on the left margin commonly used seen in technical documentation).
- OLE Frame Styles: the default Style for OLE objects and Floating Frames which are placed at the top, center, of a body of text. (OLE: Object Linking and Embedding; can be used for embedding spreadsheets video, or SWFs,in documents for example.)
- Watermark Frame Styles: The default style for a watermark, a graphic placed as the background to a body of text. The default is a Through wrap, with text passing over the frame and anything in it. The graphic should be faint enough that text still is readable over top of it.
The only significant addition to this list is that some users may have the need for one or more Styles for text Frames.
Once Frames and their use is understood it is time to actually Style the Frame.
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