Step 3. Create the master document and subdocuments from the same template
If you are starting a new project, create the master document and all the subdocuments from the same template. Not using the same template could create style inconsistencies that require time and effort to correct. For example, if two subdocuments have a style with the same name that is formatted differently in each document, the master document will use the formatting from the first subdocument that was added. This could cause your document not to look like you expect. Using the same template for all subdocuments saves time and frustration.
It does not matter in what order you create the master and subdocuments, and you do not have to create all the subdocuments at the same time, when you are starting the project. You can add new subdocuments at any time, as you need them—as long as you always create them from the same template.
Create the master document
Follow this process to create the master document. You can use other methods, but each method (including this one) has its drawbacks.
- Open a new document from the template you created in Step 2, by clicking New > Templates and Documents, then selecting the template you created. Be sure the first page of this new document is set to the page style you want for the first page of the final document; if it is not, change it. In our example, the style for the first page is Title page.
- If any text or page breaks came into this document from the template, delete the text. (Fields in headers and footers can stay.)
- Click File > Send > Create Master Document. Save the master document in the folder for this project, not in the templates folder. We will return to this master document later. For now, you can either leave it open or close it, as you prefer.
Create subdocuments
A subdocument is no different from any other text document. It becomes a subdocument only when it is linked into a master document and opened from within the master document. Some settings in the master document will override the settings in a subdocument, but only when the document is being viewed, manipulated, or printed through the master document.
Create a subdocument in the same way as you create any ordinary document:
- Open a blank document based on the project template (very important) by clicking New > Templates and Documents, then selecting the template.
- Delete any unwanted text, and set the first page to the page style you specified for the first page of a chapter.
- Click File > Save As. Give the document a suitable name and save it in the folder for this project.
If you already have some of the chapters written, the files are probably not based on the template you just created for this project. You will need to change the template attached to the existing files. You can do this manually, or by using the Template Changer extension to OOo; both methods are described in Chapter 10 (Working with Templates).