Making margin change marks persist after change acceptance

[Ironduck]

I would like to know if there is a way, and if you could tell me, as to how I could make the change mark that appears in the margin with changes in a document (visible with Edit > Change > Record selected) persist after the changes have been accepted? Is there also a way to make the vertical bar thicker?

For example: Say I had a municipal ordinance that I was editing, and after all the changes were accepted, is it possible to have the mark in the margin remain so that when using the ordinance an individual could see if there was a change in the text of interest with the last rewrite/adoption. I would also need to be able to globally clear, or reset, these marks with the next revision.

In another life I used to rely on the National Electrical Safety Code and National Electrical Code on a daily basis and each of these publications utilized this type of margin marking (vertical bar to the side of new or amended text since the last release) to indicate changes so that readers would not have to read the entire document to find recent changes. (both publication have since changed to using a grayed background for text that has changed).

[jrkrideau]

What about creating a new paragraph style with a border on the left or right hand? All changed pargraphs are formated with that style and voilà you have changes marked.
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jrkrideau
Kingston ON Canada
Currently using Windows 7 & OOo 3.4.0 and Ubuntu 12.04 & LibreOffice 3.5.2.2

[floris_v]

The problem with that is that the entire paragraph gets a line instead of just the changed lines. I'm afraid that what the OP wants is - near - impossible. Maybe something for an enhancement request?
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[mgroenescheij]

Hi,

Change bars are useful for distributing new revisions of official documents.
At the moment change bars are displayed only when we select Show Changes.
When changes are accepted/rejected all references to changes are lost.
What we need is a three state option:
1. Show Changes
2. Hide Changes but Show Change Bars
3. Hide Changes

The process for the document administrator should be to:
- Reject changes he doesn't want.
- Select: Hide Changes but Show Change Bars
- Distribute the document in read only mode or export as PDF, so changes are visible.
- Accept the remainder of the changes.

Martin
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[Ironduck]

Well thank you all for evaluating my question. From the replies from floris_v and Martin, I think I can safely understand that the answer to my question is: No. floris_v mentioned something about "maybe something for an enhancement request." Is this something I could request of OOo coders, and if so, how would I go about doing this?

To Martin (mgroenescheij), specifically, you pegged what I was looking for perfectly! This is something I'd love to help with, but I don't have any valuable experience or talents in coding. I'm still wandering about trying to figure out these forum and blogs - always interested in learning something new.

Thank you all,
Chuck

[Ironduck]

Actually, I just re-read Martin's answer to my question and I think under his process for the document administrator I would suggest the selection options to be:

-Reject changes (no changes to text, therefore no change bars)
-Accept changes (current state functionality - no change bars)
-Accept changes but show Change Bars (persistent change bars)*

*but would need some means of globally resetting these bars in the margin (clearing them) before any editing for a new version release of the document.

I didn't quite understand the option for "Distributing the document in read only mode or export as PDF, so changes are visible." Am I not able to do that currently with a document that in currently being edited with Record turned on? I know that when I send the document as an email attachment in odt or doc format the other users, changes are visible to the recipients. And am I to understand the only the originator can accept or reject changes, or can others exercise this type of editorial control?

Thanks,
-Chuck

[floris_v]

You can report bugs and file enhancement requests at the following links:
Apache OpenOffice
LibreOffice
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