New option

'Merge borders/shadow with next paragraph'

Ease of use

Document - ID	Specification Owner	Last Change	Status
	Oliver-Rainer Düsterhöft	2004-02-18	Final
Conforms to	
Applies to	OpenOffice.org Writer
Task ID(s)	IssueZilla issue i17758
Category	Feature

Abstract

Introduce new option 'Merge borders/shadow with next paragraph' for paragraphs and paragraph styles. If a paragraph has the same border and shadow attributes as the next paragraph, the user can control by this option, if the borders and the shadow of the paragraph will merge with the borders and the shadow of the next paragraph or not.

i-Team Members (The specification Owner is part of the i-Team)

	Name	E-mail Address
User Experience	Frank Loehmann (FL)	frank.loehmann@sun.com
Development	Oliver-Rainer Düsterhöft (OD)	oliver-rainer.duesterhoeft@sun.com
Quality Assurance	Michael Ruess (MRU)	michael.ruess@sun.com
Documentation	Uwe Fischer (UFI)	uwe.fischer@sun.com

Approved for Implementation

	Approved by	Date
User Experience	Frank Loehmann (FL)	2004-01-09
Development	Oliver Specht (OS)	2003-12-11
Quality Assurance	Michael Rüß (MRU)	2004-01-14
Documentation	Uwe Fischer (UFI)	2003-12-02
String Review	Elizabeth Matthis (EM)	2004-02-17

Document Change History

Rev. Level	Change	Initials	Date
1.0	Initial version	OD	2003-11-25
1,1	Complete the specification chapters 'Motivation', 'User Scenarios' and 'Goals'. Add OS's approval	OD	2003-12-11
1,2	Extend chapter 6.1 Add FL's approval	OD	2004-01-12
1,3	Add MRU's approval	OD	2004-01-16
1,4	Include EM's adjustments and add her approval	OD	2004-02-18

Contents

Glossary	1

1	Motivation	1

2	User Scenarios	1

3	Goals	1

4	Requirements and Dependencies	1

4.1	Requirements	1

4.2	Technical Dependencies	1

5	Competitive Analyses	2

6	Detailed Specification	2

6.1	Option 'Merge borders/shadow with next paragraph'	2

6.2	Impact on the user interface	2

6.3	Impact on the AutoCorrect/AutoFormat	3

6.4	Default value of the option	4

6.5	Impact on the file format and API	4

6.6	Error Conditions	4

7	Future Tasks	4

8	Notes	4

9	References	4

Glossary

Term	Description
<Term 1>	

Motivation

The user has no direct control about the merging of borders and shadow for adjacent paragraphs.

User Scenarios

Scenario 1

User wants to apply the same borders around two adjacent paragraphs and has to know that she has to apply the paragraph style 'Horizontal Line' (or an inherited one) to the paragraph to achieve her intent.

This is a subject of improvement, because applying the paragraph style 'Horizontal Line' isn't very intuitive.

Scenario 2

User uses AutoFormat item 'Apply border' (by inserting one of the strings '---', '___', '===', '***', '~~~' or '###' and press Enter) for a paragraph and get a paragraph with a corresponding bottom border line. If then the user inserts a new paragraph by pressing Enter at the end of the paragraph with the bottom border line, the new paragraph gets the same attributes as the paragraph with the bottom line. The borders and the shadow of these two paragraphs will merge, if they haven't the paragraph style 'Horizontal Line' (or an inherited one) applied.

This is a subject of improvement, because the user doesn't understand, why the bottom border line, which is inserted by the AutoFormat, vanishes.

Goals

Providing direct control about the merging of borders and shadow of a paragraph with the borders and the shadow of the following paragraph by a new option.

Requirements and Dependencies

Requirements

None.

Technical Dependencies

Not known.

Competitive Analyses

This is a Writer-internal issue that has no competitiveness.

Detailed Specification

The borders and the shadow of adjacent paragraphs, that are the same – same border and shadow attributes at top, right, bottom and left – and have the same indents before and after the text, are merged in the current version of the Writer.

Merging of the borders and shadow means:

the top border is painted only at the top of the first of these paragraphs,

the bottom border is only painted at the bottom of the last of these paragraphs,

the left and right borders are painted continuously from the first of these paragraphs to the last of these paragraphs, and

the shadow is painted only around these paragraphs.

Exceptions are paragraphs that have the paragraph style 'Horizontal Line' (or a style that inherits from paragraph style 'Horizontal Line') applied to them. The borders and shadow of such paragraphs doesn't merge with the borders and the shadow of the next paragraph. Thus, it is only possible to put the same borders and shadow around adjacent paragraphs, if paragraph style 'Horizontal Line' is used. This is in need of improvement.

The new option 'Merge borders/shadow with next paragraph' provides direct control of the merge behaviour of borders and shadow to the user for every paragraph, independent on its applied paragraph style.

Note: The option is already implemented for the paragraphs and for the paragraph styles as stated above in the OpenOffice.org 1.1, but the user interface with a corresponding documentation is missing.

Option 'Merge borders/shadow with next paragraph'

The new option 'Merge borders/shadow with next paragraph' will be introduced to paragraphs and paragraph styles. If the option is ON for a paragraph and the indent, border and shadow attributes of the paragraph equals the indent, border and shadow attributes of the next paragraph, the borders and the shadow of the paragraphs area merged. If the option is OFF for a paragraph, the borders and the shadow of this paragraph doesn't merge with the borders and the shadow of the next paragraph. But the borders and the shadow could be merged with the previous paragraph, if the option of the previous paragraph is ON and its indent, border and shadow attributes are the same.

Hidden paragraphs (e.g. paragraphs hidden by a hidden paragraph field or a hidden section) are skipped and not considered in the formatting and the layout of borders and shadow.

Impact on the user interface

The new option 'Merge borders/shadow with next paragraph' will be activated/deactivated via a checkbox in the dialog for paragraphs/paragraph styles on tab page 'Borders' – see subchapter String list for the strings and following illustration for the changed tab page.

The checkbox will be enabled, if at least one of the borders or a shadow position is set, otherwise it is disabled.

Remark: The changes to the tab page 'Borders' has to consider that this tab page is also used in other parts of OpenOffice.org beside its usage for formatting paragraphs and paragraph styles in OpenOffice.org Writer.

Distance Color Position Shadow style Properties Merge with next paragraph Illustration 1 changed tab page 'Borders'

String list

Item	English	German	Comments
Fixed line	Properties	Eigenschaften	String to describe a new area in the dialog of paragraphs, tab page 'Borders' found under Format – Paragraph – Borders tab page.
Checkbox	~Merge with next paragraph	Mit dem nächsten Absatz verschmelzen	String of a new checkbox in the dialog of paragraphs, tab page 'Borders', area named 'Properties' found under Format – Paragraph – Borders tab page.
Paragraph style dialog /Organizer – attribute state: on	Merge borders	Umrandung verschmelzen	String is displayed dialog to edit paragraph styles in the “Organizer” page in the “Contains” section
Paragraph style dialog /Organizer – attribute state: off	Do not merge borders	Umrandung nicht verschmelzen	String is displayed dialog to edit paragraph styles in the “Organizer” page in the “Contains” section

Tab Order

New checkbox is add to the tab order at the end.

Key Board Shortcuts

See string list.

Impact on the AutoCorrect/AutoFormat

If the AutoCorrect/AutoFormat item 'Apply border' (inserting the string '---', '___', '===', '***', '~~~' or '###' and press Enter) is applied for a paragraph, the option 'Merge borders/shadow with next paragraph' will be deactivated.

Default value of the option

The default value for the new option is ON. Exception is made for the paragraph style 'Horizontal Line', its value of the new option is OFF.

Impact on the file format and API

The option will be saved as the value of the attribute style:join-border=”true”|”false” (“true”, if option is ON; “false”, if option is OFF) of the <style:properties> tag.

The option can be access via the API by the property ParaIsConnectBorder of the service com::sun::star::style::ParagraphProperties.
Remark: The current description of this property in the service description is wrong and has to be corrected.

Error Conditions

Not known.

Future Tasks

None.

Notes

References

Option 'Merge borders/shadow with next paragraph'

Page 4

http://specs.openoffice.org/writer/compatibility/merge-borders-and-shadow.sxw

Oliver-Rainer Düsterhöft

2003-11-21T16:22:06

Oliver Specht