Inserting Captions

Use the following procedure to insert captions for illustrations, drawings, tables, and any other objects you insert.

There are a couple of ways you can insert captions: using Writer's caption tool, or creating your own autonumbered paragraph formats. There are benefits and drawbacks to each:

Using Writer's Caption Tool

The benefit is that you can insert captions automatically whenever you insert an object in Writer. One drawback is that the caption is inserted directly above or below the object, and you have to manually change the spacing between each object and its caption. Another drawback is that you can edit the caption title directly. It's not created as an non-editable field.

Using AutoNumbered Paragraph Formats

One benefit is that you can't edit the caption title or number. It's all one non-editable field. Another benefit is that it's easier to control the spacing between the paragraph format and the object. The drawback is that you have to manually apply the paragraph format to get the caption title and number. It's not inserted automatically when you insert an element like a graphic.

With either method you can generate a list of figures, tables, or lists of any other elements.

Inserting Captions Automatically with the Caption Tool

You can have Writer insert captions automatically when you insert objects into Writer.

1. Choose Tools > Options > Text document > General.

2. Select the Automatic option, and click the ellipses button.

3. In the Caption window, select the box next to each object for which you want to generate an automatic caption, and set the caption options for each, as shown in Figure 8-29.

   Figure 8-29. Setting automatic caption options

   

4. Click OK in the Caption window.

5. Click OK in the Options window.

If you want to use chapter-number numbering for the captions (such as "Illustration 3-5"), make sure you've defined a top-level paragraph, such as Heading 1, as the level 1 outline number with an auto-generated chapter number. See Outline Numbering, for Chapter, Figure, and Cross-Reference Numbering on page 314. Also, in the Caption window (Figure 8-29), set the Level field to None. For some reason this creates the number format correctly.

Each type of caption has a corresponding paragraph style that you can modify. But in the paragraph format for each type of caption (Graphic, Illustration, and so on), be sure not to assign a numbering style on the Numbering tab. That will mess up your automatic caption numbering.

To stop automatic captioning, simply deselect the Automatic option in the Options window.

Inserting Captions Manually with the Caption Tool

If you don't want to insert captions automatically you can insert them manually.

1. If you want to use chapter-number numbering for the captions (such as "Illustration 3-5"), make sure you've defined a chapter paragraph that uses an auto-generated chapter number. See Outline Numbering, for Chapter, Figure, and Cross-Reference Numbering on page 314.

2. Select the inserted object you want to insert a caption for.

3. Choose Insert > Caption.

4. Set options for the caption in the Caption window. See Figure 8-30.

   Figure 8-30. Setting caption options

   

5. If you want to use chapter-number caption numbering, click the Options button, set the options you want, and click OK.

6. Click OK in the Caption window.

Each type of caption has a corresponding paragraph style that you can modify.

Caption Numbering with Paragraph Formats

You can create a numbered paragraph style specifically designed for captions (figure, table, or whatever kind of caption you want to create). For example, if you insert a picture into your document, you can apply the caption paragraph format you created below the picture, and it will automatically insert Figure #: as the paragraph numbering, letting you type the caption after it.

For example, use the Before and After fields (shown in Figure 8-31) to get the following numbering (which, as you can see, also includes letters ):

Figure 8-31. Example of setting up caption numbering

Captions without a chapter number

This procedure deals with paragraph and numbering styles. It's for straight caption numbering without including a chapter number. For more information, see page 251 and page 256.

1. Create a numbering style and name it; for example, "FigureCaption." See Figure 8-31 for an example of setting up the numbering style for figures.

2. Create a paragraph style called, for example, "FigureCaption."

3. In the numbering properties for the paragraph style, select the "FigureCaption" numbering style. Then, whenever you apply the FigureCaption paragraph style, the numbering appears like this automatically.

   Create a different kind of paragraph and numbering format for each type of caption you want to use, such as tables, illustrations, and so on.

Captions using a chapter number

This procedure shows you how to create a paragraph style that includes a chapter number in the caption number, such as "Figure 4-2."

This procedure involves using outline numbering. For more information, see page 314.

1. Create a paragraph style called, for example, "FigureCaption." Do not assign a numbering style on the Numbering tab of the paragraph style.

2. After you create the paragraph style, choose Tools > Outline Numbering.

3. In the Outline Numbering window (Figure 8-32), select Level 1, make sure the paragraph style is the chapter-level style (such as Heading 1) that will be the first style used in the document, and make sure it's set up to generate a chapter number (in the Number field).

   Figure 8-32. Setting up caption numbering to include the chapter number

   

4. Select any other level in the Outline Numbering window, and assign your caption paragraph to it. If you skip a level or more from Level 1, assign a numbering style to each level between Level 1 and the level of your caption.