Contents

# Formatting Aids

In LibreOfficeDev text and HTML documents, defines the display for certain characters and for the direct cursor.

To access this command...

Open a text document, choose LibreOfficeDev - Preferences Tools - Options - LibreOfficeDev Writer/LibreOfficeDev Writer/Web - Formatting Aids.

## Layout Assistance

### Math baseline alignment

Specifies whether Math formula objects are aligned using the text baseline as reference. Uncheck this option to be able to change the vertical position of Math objects in a paragraph.

## Display formatting

Defines which formatting marks are visible on screen. Activate the Formatting Marks icon on the Standard bar. All characters that you have selected on the Formatting Aids tab page will be displayed.

### Paragraph end

Specifies whether paragraph delimiters are displayed. The paragraph delimiters also contain paragraph format information.

### Soft hyphens

Specifies whether soft hyphens (called also as optional or discretionary hyphens) are displayed. These are hidden user-defined delimiters that you enter within a word by pressing Command+Hyphen(-) Ctrl+Hyphen(-). Words with soft hyphens are only separated at the end of a line at the point where a soft hyphen has been inserted, irrespective of whether the automatic hyphenation is activated or deactivated.

### Spaces

Specifies whether to represent every space in the text with a dot.

### Non-breaking spaces

Specifies that non-breaking spaces are shown as gray boxes. Non-breaking spaces are not broken at the end of a line and are entered with the Command+Shift+Spacebar Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar shortcut keys.

### Tabs

Specifies that tab stops are displayed as small arrows.

### Breaks

Displays all line breaks inserted with the Shift+Enter shortcut. These breaks create a new line, but do not start a new paragraph.

### Hidden characters

Displays text that uses the character format "hidden", when View - Formatting Marks is enabled.

### Bookmarks

Specifies that bookmark indicators are shown. | indicates the position of a point bookmark. [ ] indicates the start and end of a bookmark on a text range.

The following controls appear only for Writer documents, not for HTML documents.

## Protected Areas

### Enable cursor

Specifies that you can set the cursor in a protected area, but cannot make any changes.

## Direct cursor

Defines all the properties of the direct cursor.

### Direct cursor

Activates the direct cursor. You can also activate this function by clicking the Toggle Direct Cursor Mode icon on the Tools bar or by choosing the Edit - Direct Cursor Mode command in a text document.

### Insert

Defines the insert options for the direct cursor. If you click at any position in your document, a new paragraph can be written or inserted exactly at this position. The properties of this paragraph depend on the selected option. You can select from the following options:

#### Tabs

When the direct cursor is used, as many tabs as necessary are added in the new paragraph until the clicked position is reached.

#### Tabs and Spaces

When the Direct Cursor is used, a corresponding number of tabs and spaces are inserted in the new paragraph as necessary until the clicked position is reached.

#### Spaces

When the direct cursor is used, spaces are added in the new paragraph until the clicked position is reached.

#### Left paragraph margin

When the direct cursor is used, the left paragraph indent is set at the horizontal position where you click the direct cursor. The paragraph is left aligned.

#### Paragraph alignment

Sets the paragraph alignment when the direct cursor is used. Depending on where the mouse is clicked, the paragraph is formatted left aligned, centered or right aligned. The cursor before the mouse-click shows, by means of a triangle, which alignment is set.

All insert options refer only to the current paragraph generated with the Direct Cursor.

## Image

### Anchor

Defines the default anchor for inserted images. Available options are:

- To Paragraph

- To Character

- As Character

## Auto complete

Choose this option to have Writer automatically enclose selected text with parentheses (), square brackets [], curly braces {}, or quotation marks "" whenever you press the opening character. Simply select the text and press the opening character to enclose it with both the opening and closing characters.

## Object Boundaries

Select this option to display the object boundaries by default. You can also display or hide boundaries by selecting View > Boundaries on the Menu bar.

### Text

Border outline: Shows a faint line indicating the page margins.

Crop marks: Shows marks on the corners of the margins box.

### Sections and Frames

Displays the boundaries of sections and frames. A faint line indicates the edges of sections or frames when no borders are applied.

### Tables

Displays the boundaries of table cells. A faint line indicates the edges of cells when no borders are applied.