Assemble longer blocks of text from small blocks of text

[Dave M G]

I'm posting this in the General category because I don't know which particular OpenOffice product might offer a solution, though I suspect if it is possible it would be either with Writer or Calc.

I give speeches a few times a month. That speech is made up of small sections of text that I combine to form the whole speech. Each speech is a little different, and in every speech the small sections will be different, and in different orders.

Right now, I just keep all the speeches in text files and copy and past from one to the other to form new speeches. This is becoming unmanageable as I add new small text sections and the overall pool of text units grows.

What I need is an interface where I can store the small units of text separately, and then select them to form a new group which becomes the new speech.

On top of that, and this is key, if I make edits in the newly formed speech, the edits will be stored in the original blocks of text, so that next time, when I am assembling a new speech, the blocks of text I select will be the latest version, reflecting the edits when I did the last speech.

I have tried various approaches in Writer and Calc, but haven't come up with anything. But I am certainly not a power user, so maybe I haven't explored all the possibilities.

Also, it should be noted, I tried looking at Base, but I find the whole interface really, really confusing. I'm not saying I'm opposed to trying it if it offered a viable solutioin, just that I'd need a very, very clear explanation of what to do.

In any case, is what I'm trying to do possible within OpenOffice?
_________________
LibreOffice 3.4.5
Ubuntu 11.10

[floris_v]

There are several possibilities.
One is to put all fragments in one file and work with paragraph styles: make a style called Skip with Hidden text turned on to hide the fragments that you don't want to use. Then every time you start on a new lecture simply select all fragments that you don't need and hide them with that paragraph style.
You can also put each fragment in its own document and make a master document for each lecture in which you insert all fragments you want as sub documents. You can still edit those sub documents (the master document will be aware that a sub document has been changed and then asks you if you want to update it).
_________________
LibreOffice 3.6.3; OOo 3.4.1 on Windows Vista
Join the Official community forum - in several languages, including Nederlandstalig forum

[Dave M G]

floris_v,

Thank you for responding.

If I go with your second option, of having sub documents and a master document, if I make an edit in the master document, will that be written to the sub document? Or would I have to make edits in each sub document and then refresh or re-open the master?
_________________
LibreOffice 3.4.5
Ubuntu 11.10

[Dave M G]

floris_v,

Also, what is the name of the feature that would allow me to include sub-documents in Writer? I'm looking now, but I can't find any way of doing what you suggest.
_________________
LibreOffice 3.4.5
Ubuntu 11.10

[floris_v]

You can't directly edit sub documents in the master document - they're there for show. But you can select to edit a sub document, then the edited file will be reloaded (it's inserted as a link, not as text).
To insert files in a master document, select the navigator (that opens by default in a master document), right click on the Text item and select Insert - File at the spot where you want to insert it.
_________________
LibreOffice 3.6.3; OOo 3.4.1 on Windows Vista
Join the Official community forum - in several languages, including Nederlandstalig forum

[Dave M G]

floris_v,

Thank you for this suggestion, but I'm afraid now that I see it more directly, it falls outside of the parameters of what I was looking for.

The ability to edit within the master and have that edit reflected in the sub documents was the feature that I initially described as "key". Including sub-documents in a master as you describe does not do that.

I am now considering the show/hide solution you suggested, but it seems to me that it might fall down on an organizational level. The order of sub sections would constantly be shifting, and finding the right items would be difficult.
_________________
LibreOffice 3.4.5
Ubuntu 11.10