Anchoring of objects

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Foreword

The video shows how to do the "Verankerung von Objekten in Writer - LibreOffice" ( "Anchoring of Objects" ) and links to this page here, which provides further information and details. The basis of this description is the Online Help - Positioning Objects.

Link to the Video

Link to the Video (in German [DE]): Verankerung von Objekten in Writer - LibreOffice

Possible default settings for objects

For inserting Frames, Images and Drawing Objects preferences can be set that

affect anchoring and
automatic captioning.
Furthermore, the spacing to the surrounding text can be defined.

Object Anchoring

Any Objects are always anchored in the document. The anchor is a reference point in the document that can be defined. The anchor is logically connected to the object. The anchor becomes visible when the object is selected.

Possible Anchoring Presets

You can select the anchoring preset via the Tools ▸ Options ▸ LibreOffice Writer ▸ Formatting Aids ▸ > ▸ ‘‘‘Image‘‘‘ ▸ Anchor menu. The following options are available:

To Paragraph
To Character
As Character

Anchor To Paragraph

The object is linked to a paragraph and moves with it. It can be positioned at the edge or elsewhere. This method is useful as an alternative to a table for placing icons or smaller screenshots next to paragraphs. The anchor itself can be moved to another paragraph by dragging and dropping it. This also works across pages.

Anchor To Character

The object is linked to a character but is not located within the text sequence. It moves with the paragraph containing the character but can be positioned at the edge or elsewhere. Moving the object also moves the anchor within the text sequence. The anchor itself can be attached to a different character by dragging and dropping it. This works across multiple pages.

Anchor As Character

The object is now positioned in the document like any other character and therefore affects the text line height and line breaks. The object moves with the text if you add or delete text in front of the image. To reposition the object, click on it and wait approximately 2 seconds, then drag it to the new position. This "Anchoring As Character" method is useful, for example, to keep screenshots in order within a process (by anchoring them as characters in an empty paragraph) or to add a small symbol to the order of a sentence. The anchor is not visible here.

Anchor To Page

The Anchor To Page option is only available in the associated dialog — it's not a default setting. In the context menu for images, select Properties ▸ > ▸ Position and Size ▸ > ▸ Anchoring ▸ To Page or for Frames the Properties. This anchors the selected object to the current page. The object retains the same position relative to the page margins. It won't move if you add or delete text or other objects. You can move the object anywhere on the page, provided its size allows. This method is useful when creating newsletters or very layout-intensive documents, such as a logo in a letterhead. Anchoring to the side is also frequently used on page 1 of a book. In this case, the object usually occupies the entire page. This anchor type is very specific; the object will always remain associated with that page number. You can change the anchor by right-clicking on the image and selecting Anchor and the desired anchor from the context menu.

Warning:
When anchoring objects To Page, it's important to note that they cannot "migrate" to another page. So, if you've anchored an object to page 5, you can add or remove as much text as you like before that page, but the object will remain fixed on page 5. This can even mean that if you remove a lot of text before the object - for example, leaving only 4 pages of text - but the object is still anchored to page 5, it will likely simply disappear.

Anchoring

An object always has an anchor and thus a reference point in the document. The anchor is optionally associated to an element, such as a paragraph, character, page, or frame (anchoring). Frames and images can be anchored to the page. When you insert an object, image, or frame, an anchor icon appears where the object is anchored. An anchor moves with the element to which it is attached when the document is edited. An object maintains its position relative to the reference point determined by its anchor, so whenever the reference point moves or changes, the object moves relative to it. This does not apply to anchoring to the page.

Anchoring options

The following anchoring options are available:

To Paragraph: Anchors the selected object to the current paragraph.
As Character: Anchors the selected object as a character in the current text. If the height of the selected object is greater than the current font size, the height of the line containing the object is increased. To centre an image on an HTML page, insert the image, anchor it "as character", then centre the paragraph.
To Character: Anchors the selected object to the paragraph that contains the character to which the anchor is attached. The reference point for the object is the start of the paragraph that contains the character. For example, if you split the paragraph at a point before the anchor, the reference point moves to the start of the new paragraph and the object moves relative to that point. If you join the paragraph to the one before it, the reference point moves to the start of the combined paragraph and the object moves to a position relative to that.
To Frame: Anchors the selected item to the surrounding frame.
To Page: Anchors the selected object to the current page.

Anchoring on the page - retroactively

Select in the menu ( Menu scheme for objects: Format ▸ object ):

for Images: Format ▸ Image ▸ Properties in tab "Type" at "Anchor" - "To page".
for Frame: Format ▸ Frame and Object ▸ Properties in the "Type" tab under "Anchor" - "To Page".

Anchoring and effect

Green text from this LO-Online Help
Blue text from this OO-Source

To Paragraph

Anchors the selected item to the current paragraph.
The graphic is associated with a paragraph and moves with the paragraph. It may be placed in the margin or another location. This method is useful as an alternative to a table for placing icons beside paragraphs.

As Character

Anchors the selected item as a character in the current text. If the height of the selected item is greater than the current font size, the height of the line containing the item is increased. To centre an image on an HTML page, insert the image, anchor it "as character", then centre the paragraph.
The graphic is placed in the document like any other character and, therefore, affects the height of the text line and the line break. The graphic moves with the paragraph as you add or delete text before the paragraph. This method is useful for keeping screenshots in sequence in a procedure or for adding a small icon in sequence in a sentence.

To Character

Anchors the selected item to a character.
The graphic is associated with a character but is not in the text sequence. It moves with the paragraph but may be placed in the margin or another location. This method is similar to anchoring to a paragraph but cannot be used with drawing objects.

To Page

Anchors the selected item to the current page.
A graphic anchored "To page" is forever associated with a particular page. It does not move as you add or delete text or other graphics. This method is useful when the graphic does not need to be visually associated with a particular piece of text. It is often used when producing newsletters or other documents that are very layout intensive.

Further Informations

Anchoring and positioning information

The important concepts of anchoring and positioning. (FAQ)

Positioning Objects (Online-Help)

Possible anchorages

Possible anchorages
Object	To Paragraph	As Character	To Character	To Page²	To Frame¹
Image	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Textbox	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Frame	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Basic Shape	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Diagramm	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Gallery	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Fontwork	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

¹ Anchoring to the frame is only possible when the object is in the frame.
² The anchoring "To Page" is called via menu; Format ▸ object.

This wiki description as a quick guide

( In German [DE] ) - "Verankerung von Objekten - LO73.odt"

Insert and edit images in Writer Part 1

With the topics:

Insert
Change size
Set anchorage
Define wrap
Compress
Rotate or Flip
Labeling

Documentation / Manuals

Here you will find the Documentation / Manuals:

Documentation / Manuals

Any questions?

For questions on this topic go to:

Ask.LibreOffice

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