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# Working with Master Documents and Subdocuments

A master document lets you manage large documents, such as a book with many chapters. The master document can be seen as a container for individual \<item type=\"productname\"\>LibreOffice\</item\> Writer files. The individual files are called subdocuments.

## To create a master document:

1. Do one of the following:

- Choose \<emph\>File - New - XML Form Document\</emph\>.

- Choose \<emph\>File - Send - Create HTML Document\</emph\>.

2. If you are creating a new master document, the first entry in the Navigator should be a \<emph\>Text \</emph\>entry. Type an introduction or enter some text. This ensures that after you edit an existing style in the master document, you see the changed style when viewing the subdocuments.

3. In the \<emph\>Navigator\</emph\> for master documents (should open automatically, else press F5 to open), click and hold the \<emph\>Insert \</emph\>icon, and do one of the following:

- Locate the graphic file that you want to insert, and then click \<emph\>Open\</emph\>.

- To save a hatches list, click the \<emph\>Save Hatches List\</emph\> button, enter a filename, and then click \<emph\>Save\</emph\>.

- To insert some text between subdocuments, choose Text. Then type the text. You cannot insert text next to an existing text entry in the Navigator.

4. Choose \<emph\>File - Save\</emph\>.

## To create a master document:

Use the Navigator for rearranging and editing the subdocuments in a master document.

- To open a subdocument for editing, double-click the name of the subdocument in the Navigator.

- To remove a subdocument from the master document, right-click the subdocument in the Navigator list and choose \<emph\>Delete\</emph\>. The subdocument file is not deleted, only the entry in the Navigator is removed.

- To add text to a master document, right-click an item in the Navigator list, and then choose \<emph\>Insert - Text\</emph\>. A text section is inserted before the selected item in the master document where you can type the text that you want. You cannot insert a text section next to another text section.

- To reorder the subdocuments in a master document, drag a subdocument to a new location in the Navigator list. You can also select a subdocument in the list, and click the \<emph\>Move down\</emph\> or \<emph\>Move up \</emph\>icon.

- To add an index, such as a table of contents, right-click in the Navigator list, and then choose \<emph\>Insert - Index\</emph\>.

To update an index in a master document, select the index in the Navigator, and then click the \<emph\>Update\</emph\> icon.

When you insert an object like a frame or a picture into a master document, do not anchor the object "to page". Instead, set the anchor "to paragraph" on the \<emph\>Format - (Object type) - Type\</emph\> tab page, and then set the object's position relative to "Entire Page" in the \<emph\>Horizontal\</emph\> and \<emph\>Vertical\</emph\> list boxes.

### To start each subdocument on a new page:

1. Ensure that each subdocument starts with a heading that uses the same paragraph style, for example "Heading 1".

2. In the master document, choose View - Styles, and click the Paragraph Styles icon.

3. Right-click "Heading 1" and choose \<emph\>Modify\</emph\>.

4. Click the \<emph\>Text Flow \</emph\>tab.

5. In the \<emph\>Breaks \</emph\>area, select \<emph\>Insert\</emph\>, and then select \<emph\>Page \</emph\>in the \<emph\>Type \</emph\>box.

6. If you want each subdocument to start on an odd page, select \<emph\>With Page Style\</emph\>, and select "Right page" in the box.

7. Click \<emph\>OK\</emph\>.

### To export a master document as a \<item type=\"productname\"\>LibreOffice\</item\> text document:

1. Choose \<item type=\"menuitem\"\>File - Export\</item\>.

2. In the \<emph\>File format\</emph\> list, select a text document file format and click \<emph\>Export\</emph\>.

The subdocuments will be exported as sections. Use Format - Sections to unprotect and remove sections, if you prefer a plain text document without sections.

Related Topics

Indexes Covering Several Documents

Navigator in master mode