Creating a DVD Template, easy in MS Publisher, not in OO

[ozkiwi]

Hi good people, I have switched over to Open Office 2.0 from MS Office 2000 and so far I love it... I am trying to create a DVD Template in Writer from one I created in MS Publisher but I am having trouble.

This is the A4 page setout if it helps..

3 coluimns across the page.
1st column (left) is 12.7cm wide x 17.7 cm high with a thin black border ( the Front)
2nd column (middle) is 18mm wide x 17.7 cm high with no border (the Spine)
3rd column (right) is 12.7cm wide x 17.7 cm high with a thin black border (the Back)

This layout must remain exact as it fits a double DVD case with the middle column being the Spine. The front and back pages contain a text box (with no borders) to give it a 5mm margin to keep the text away from the border line.

This Template is used for family photo albums. The Front & Back covers contain photo dates, trip details, for each disk.. While the Spine only contains the Trip name & Dates for each CD or DVD in the case.

I hope this helps to explain what I am trying to do...

Does anyone know of such a template out there already or can anyone help me work this out.. I am New to Open Office so please be gentle with me...

Kindest Regards and thanks in advance...

Steve

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

A Table seems to be the way to go. Page Format, A4 Landscape, with small margins.

Three columns one row, format, autofit, row height 12.7. Table properties, Table, Alignment, Centre. Borders no lines with 5mm spacing. Format, Alignment centred to centre text vertically. Central spline column, Format Character, Position, Rotate 90° up or 270° down.

DVD Template (Just a quick and dirty attempt to get you started).
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[ozkiwi]

Hi Bhikkhu, thanks so much for your help with this project. I will have a squiz at your attached sample and see if it can help out...

If I run into any more problems I will post back here..

Cheers

Ozkiwi

[ozkiwi]

OK Bhikkhu, I downloaded the zip file and unpacked it..

In it there are a few .xml files, named:- content, meta, settings & styles, some folders named:- Configurations2, META-INF, Pictures & Thumbnails and a file named:- minetype with no file extension...

So now that I have all of these files, what do I do with them? How do I open and use these files to actually see what they might produce?

I can see the code in the .xml files but nothing I do will show me the end result of what the template may produce..

Sorry but I did say I was New to Open Office...

Steve

[ozkiwi]

Here is what I have come up with so far, but I am still having trouble with it:-

[url=http://www.painworld.zip.com.au/downloads/dvd cover.zip]My DVD Cover[/url]

When I try to Copy & Paste the Latin (fill in) Text from the right hand page to the left hand page, the entire document grows to 3 pages in size. The top page is then blank, the middle page is my sample page and the bottom page is also blank. I am at a loss as to how to fix this issue..

I need to be able to type into all three columns without the page increasing in size or number... How can I do this?

Remember I am new to Open Office...

Ozkiwi

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

All I find on your link My DVD Cover is a blank A4 page with 1" margins.

BTW the URL doesn't work because the file name contains a space. Remove the space in the file name or replace spaces with %20 to make the link work.
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[ozkiwi]

Thanks for your patience here...

I'll try again.. This time the file is called dvdcover.odt and it should show an A4 page, in Landscape Mode, with approximately 5mm margins all round and black borders surrounding it's 3 columns - 2 (the Front & Back Covers) are the same size & 1 skinny one (the Spine) in the middle, with some text in all three columns. There is more text in the right hand side column...

Here is the link:-[url]=[http://www.painworld.zip.com.au/downloads/dvdcover.odt]Dvd Cover[/url]

When I try Copying the Latin Text from the Right hand side column (Back Cover Section) and Pasting it into the Left hand side column (Front Cover Section) the page grows to 3 pages in total... I need all 3 columns to remain the exact sizes ther are no matter what and not to grow in size or increase the number of pages...

I hope this one shows the page content, if it doesn't I must be doing something very wrong here...

Ozkiwi
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Completely New (Sub-Novice) to Open Office but love what I see so far... I hope to learn how to use it instead of MS Office...

[Bhikkhu Pesala]

All that is wrong is that you have a lot of paragraph breaks in the first column. If you delete those it works fine. View menu, Non-printing characters (Control F10) to see where the problem lies.

Here is the link:Dvd Cover
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[Eagle]

I've made one in A4 format without tables, for single DVD boxes.

http://www.yourfilelink.com/get.php?fid=10494

[ozkiwi]

Thanks so much for your help & patience with this, I really appreciate it...

Cheers

Ozkiwi

[ozkiwi]

Thanks to you for your assistance with this issue. I think you did a reat job witjh your DVD Template...

Cheers

Ozkiwi

[Mike1951]

Eagle,

The link you posted for the DVD template is no longer valid.

Do you still have the file?

This is something that was easy in MS Word, but I can't get a handle on it with OO.

Thanks,

Mike

[Eagle]

I have placed the file on

http://s2.gimehost.com/v/7690947/dvdcover_a4.odt.html

(This host should not expire, although there is a 5 seconds pause before you can download it)

Eagle.

[Mike1951]

Thanks, Eagle.

But I do still have a question.

The biggest problem I was having was getting the text on the spline to center vertically.

I notice that the spline text on your sample is at the top as well.

What is the process to center this text vertically?

Mike

[Bhikkhu Pesala]