Adding captions to graphics

OpenOffice.org 3 Writer Guide

Chapter 8: Working with Graphics

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• Adding images to a document
• Modifying an image
• Cropping, resizing, rotating, and other settings
• Using Writer's drawing tools
• Positioning graphics within the text
• Arranging, anchoring, and aligning
• Wrapping text around graphics
• Examples of wrapping
• Adding captions to graphics
• Adding an image to the Gallery
• Graphic file types supported

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You can add captions to graphics in three ways: automatically, by using the Caption dialog box, or manually.

Adding captions automatically

You can set up OOo to add captions automatically whenever you insert a graphic, a table, or other objects into a document. You can choose which objects are captioned automatically, what the sequence name is for each caption (for example, “Table” or “Illustration”), and the position of the caption.

To set up automatic captions:

1. Click Tools > Options. On the Options dialog box, click on the + sign next to OpenOffice.org Writer to show a list of options.
2. Select AutoCaption. Now you can see several choices at the right of the dialog box for adding captions automatically.
3. Choose which objects you want to be automatically captioned and specify the characteristics of the captions.

For more information, see “AutoCaption options” in Chapter 2 (Setting up Writer).

When you insert a graphic, if automatic captioning is enabled, the graphic is placed in a frame along with a caption containing the default sequence name for graphics―Illustration. Position the cursor in the caption area and type the text for the caption. You can change the sequence name by selecting one from the drop-down Category list.

Using the Caption dialog box

To add captions using the Caption dialog box:

1. Insert the graphic, then select it and click Insert > Caption.
2. Under Properties on the Caption dialog box, make your selections for the Category, Numbering, and Separator fields (Illustration, Arabic (1 2 3), and a colon (:), respectively, for the example below and type your caption text in the Caption text box at the top. Whatever text you enter for the caption appears in the box at the bottom, after the sequence name, number, and separator.
3. Click OK. The graphic and its caption are placed in a frame.

Defining the caption for an illustration

Illustration 1. An example

An example of a graphic and its caption contained in a frame. The outer box shows the edge of the frame; this border is normally set to be invisible.

Overriding the default positioning of captions

The default positioning for picture captions is Below, and that position cannot be changed using the Caption dialog. However, you can override the positioning manually, as follows:

1. Follow the instructions in Using the Caption dialog box to create the caption.
2. Right-click on the picture (not the frame surrounding picture and caption) and make sure that Anchor > To paragraph is selected.
3. Left-click on the picture and drag it below the caption.

Adding captions manually

If you need to save as .DOC files or export in other formats, you may find that captions applied as described above (either automatically or using the Caption dialog box) are lost during the export. To avoid export problems, or as another way to put captions above pictures or below them (the usual case), you can add a caption manually, in either of two ways:

• Place the graphic and its caption in separate paragraphs.
• Use a table.

Place the graphic and its caption in separate paragraphs

Insert the graphic and anchor it to its paragraph as a character. Press Enter to create a new paragraph for the caption.

1. In the caption paragraph, type, for example, Figure and add a space.
2. To insert the figure number automatically, click Insert > Fields > Other (Control + F2) and select the Variables tab.
3. Select Number range in the Type list. Select Figure in the Selection list and choose, for example, Arabic (1 2 3) in the Format drop-down list. Click the Insert button.
4. A number will appear after the word “Figure” in the caption. Now, type the text of the caption.

Use a table

Create a one-column, two-row table. Place the picture in one row and type the caption in the other row—or use two or more rows for the caption and other text. This method can be especially useful for pictures with numbered legends, such as the Object Toolbar in this chapter