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# Working with Master Documents and Sub-documents

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 LibreOffice Writer files. The individual files are called sub-documents.

## To Create a Master Document

1. Do one of the following:

- Choose File - New - Master Document.

- Open an existing document and choose File - Send - Create Master Document.

2. If you are creating a new master document, the first entry in the Navigator should be a Text entry. Type an introduction or enter some text. This ensures that after having edited an existing style in the master document, you see the changed style when viewing the sub-documents.

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

- To insert an existing file as a sub-document, choose File, locate the file that you want to include, and then click OK.

- To create a new sub-document, choose New Document, type a name for the file, and then click Save.

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

4. Choose File - Save.

## To Edit a Master Document

Use the Navigator for rearranging and editing the sub-documents in a master document.

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

- To remove a sub-document from the master document, right-click the sub-document in the Navigator list and choose Delete. The sub-document 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 Insert - Text. A text section is inserted before the selected item in the master document in which you can type the text that you want. You cannot insert text next to an existing text entry in the Navigator.

- To reorder the sub-documents in a master document, drag a sub-document to a new location in the Navigator list. You can also select a sub-document in the list, and click the Move down or Move up icon.

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

To update an index in a master document, select the index in the Navigator, and then click the Update 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 Format - (Object type) - Type tab page, and then set the object's position relative to "Entire Page" in the Horizontal and Vertical list boxes.

### To Start Each Sub-document on a New Page

1. Ensure that each sub-document 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 Modify.

4. Click the Text Flow tab.

5. In the Breaks area, select Insert, and then select “Page”in the Type box.

6. If you want each sub-document to start on an odd page, select With Page Style, and select "Right page" in the box.

7. Click OK.

### To Export a Master Document as a LibreOffice Text Document

1. Choose File - Export.

2. In the File format list, select a text document file format and click Export.

The sub-documents 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