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 \<item type=\"productname\"\>LibreOffice\</item\> Writer files. The individual files are called subdocuments.
To create a master document:
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Do one of the following:
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Choose \<emph\>File - New - XML Form Document\</emph\>.
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Choose \<emph\>File - Send - Create HTML Document\</emph\>.
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If you are creating a new master document, the first entry in the Navigator should be a \<emph\>Text \</emph\>entry. Type an introduction or enter some text. This ensures that after you edit an existing style in the master document, you see the changed style when viewing the subdocuments.
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In the \<emph\>Navigator\</emph\> for master documents (should open automatically, else press F5 to open), click and hold the \<emph\>Insert \</emph\>icon, and do one of the following:
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To insert an existing file as a subdocument, choose , locate the file that you want to include, and then click Open.
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To save a hatches list, click the \<emph\>Save Hatches List\</emph\> button, enter a filename, and then click \<emph\>Save\</emph\>.
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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.
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Choose \<emph\>File - Save\</emph\>.
To create a master document:
Use the Navigator for rearranging and editing the subdocuments in a master document.
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To open a subdocument for editing, double-click the name of the subdocument in the Navigator.
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To remove a subdocument from the master document, right-click the subdocument in the Navigator list and choose \<emph\>Delete\</emph\>. The subdocument file is not deleted, only the entry in the Navigator is removed.
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To add text to a master document, right-click an item in the Navigator list, and then choose \<emph\>Insert - Text\</emph\>. 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 a text section next to another text section.
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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 \<emph\>Move down\</emph\> or \<emph\>Move up \</emph\>icon.
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To add an index, such as a table of contents, right-click in the Navigator list, and then choose \<emph\>Insert - Index\</emph\>.
To update an index in a master document, select the index in the Navigator, and then click the \<emph\>Update\</emph\> 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 \<emph\>Format - (Object type) - Type\</emph\> tab page, and then set the object's position relative to "Entire Page" in the \<emph\>Horizontal\</emph\> and \<emph\>Vertical\</emph\> list boxes.
To start each subdocument on a new page:
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Ensure that each subdocument starts with a heading that uses the same paragraph style, for example "Heading 1".
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In the master document, choose View - Styles, and click the Paragraph Styles icon.
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Right-click "Heading 1" and choose \<emph\>Modify\</emph\>.
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Click the \<emph\>Text Flow \</emph\>tab.
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In the \<emph\>Breaks \</emph\>area, select \<emph\>Insert\</emph\>, and then select \<emph\>Page \</emph\>in the \<emph\>Type \</emph\>box.
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If you want each subdocument to start on an odd page, select \<emph\>With Page Style\</emph\>, and select "Right page" in the box.
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Click \<emph\>OK\</emph\>.
To Export a Master Document
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Choose \<item type=\"menuitem\"\>File - Export\</item\>.
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In the Save as type list, select a text document file format and click Save.
The subdocuments will be exported as sections. Use to unprotect and remove sections, if you prefer a plain text document without sections.