[Solved] Errant double horizontal line: can't delete

[aekap]

I have a 230-page document with a double-black horizontal line in the middle of it. I'm not sure where it came from, but I'm guessing it was the result of one of my scene breaks turning into something else (a ***). I cannot delete it, and I've tried everything I can think of. I've even tried copying from several lines ahead and pasting it into a new document, and the line follows me into the new document, even when it isn't part of the text I'm highlighting!

This is making me absolutely crazy. Can someone please tell me how to get rid of this thing? I've tried using delete, backspace, highlighting the surrounding block of text and deleting all of it, and nothing is working.

[therabi]

I have a 230-page document with a double-black horizontal line in the middle of it. I'm not sure where it came from, but I'm guessing it was the result of one of my scene breaks turning into something else (a ***). I cannot delete it, and I've tried everything I can think of. I've even tried copying from several lines ahead and pasting it into a new document, and the line follows me into the new document, even when it isn't part of the text I'm highlighting!

This is making me absolutely crazy. Can someone please tell me how to get rid of this thing? I've tried using delete, backspace, highlighting the surrounding block of text and deleting all of it, and nothing is working.

Try looking at Tools> Autocorrect Options> Options find "Apply Borders" and uncheck it.

HTH

[aekap]

okay, I've played around some more, and I think what this is is a horizontal ruler. So the question is, how do you delete one of those?

[therabi]

okay, I've played around some more, and I think what this is is a horizontal ruler. So the question is, how do you delete one of those?

Can you upload a copy to look at?

[acknak]

See this previous thread: http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/ ... 97&start=0

[jrkrideau]

See this previous thread: http://user.services.openoffice.org/en/ ... 97&start=0

Should we flog the developer/programmer who came up with this idea? It's amazingly easy to do (the line not the flogging) and almost impossible for a new user to figure out what's happened.

[acknak]

Yes, if you can find him/her.

It's one of the more obvious design blunders in OOo--especially when Writer could insert one of several kinds of ruler line that would go away if the user pressed Backspace.

OTOH, I've found that at least some of Writer's blunders were originally inherited direct from MS Word--maybe this is another?

There is a request to change the Insert > Horizontal Ruler behavior, which shares this odd design, but not for the autocorrect behavior: Issue 7719: Inconsistent behavior for insert->horizontal line
At least, I couldn't find any request for it.

[PeaceByJesus]

For those in the future who come looking for a fix to this, as i did, nothing would work out of all suggestions except the one to right click above the line and choose Paragraph, and under borders and Line > Style (in middle), click on None. BUT i had to do each one by one, as selecting all would not do it, with or without "Marge with next paragraph checked.

I was working within a table on an html page (see bottom here http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/An ... Supplement, where i left two lines) I did not have Apply Borders checked in Tools > AutoCorrect> Options > Apply Borders.

[Bill]

OTOH, I've found that at least some of Writer's blunders were originally inherited direct from MS Word--maybe this is another?

This seems to be a feature which may have been partially inherited from MS Word. I tested Word 2000 to see if the behavior was the same as in Writer. Both Word 2000 and Writer create horizontal lines by adding a bottom border to the paragraph and it's possible to create consecutive paragraphs having bottom borders with only the border visible on the last paragraph. The behavior is different when trying to remove the horizontal line. In Writer, the bottom border has to be manually removed from each paragraph. In Word 2000, manually removing the border from the the bottom paragraph automatically removes the border from the preceding paragraphs, so in Word, the horizontal line doesn't "move up" like it does in Writer when the border is removed from the bottom paragraph.

[zfree]

If anyone's got this problem: I managed to get rid of my persistent horizontal line by going with the cursor directly to it and selecting Format > Clear Direct Formatting.

[Bill]

Format > Clear Direct Formatting wll also remove all other direct formatting. To remove the line without removing other direct formatting, use Format > Paragraph and remove the bottom border.

[duncanparkes]

I've just been having fun with these horizontal lines and I'm sure it's not for the first time. The solution today was to

Code: Select all

Edit -> Select All
Format -> Paragraph ->
  Untick merge with next paragraph
  Set all four borders under line arrangement
  Click OK

Format -> Paragraph ->
  Set No borders
  Click OK

Just going directly to no borders just moved the borders around.

Hopefully next time I come across this I'll find this answer rather than having to work it out again...

[John_Ha]

Just going directly to no borders just moved the borders around.

The horizontal line is either the top border of a paragraph, or the bottom border of a paragraph. So, to remove it, you must have the cursor in the paragraph in question before removing the border. If you delete the paragraph with the border, the border just to the previous (next?) paragraph because the default setting is for text to take on the preceding paragraph's attributes.

It is easier to select from before the line(s) to after the line(s). Now remove the borders - it will remove all the borders in the selection - including the unwanted ones.

Setting Show hidden characters helps greatly in this (and many other problems). I think it should be the default when AOO is installed, and when AOO opens a document as it is so useful, but so few newcomers know about it.

[RoryOF]

Setting Show hidden characters helps greatly in this (and many other problems). I think it should be the default when AOO is installed, and when AOO opens a document as it is so useful, but so few newcomers know about it.

Unfortunately, most users expect the document to look onscreen exactly as it will be printed (even to exact size in many cases!) and cannot mentally discount the presence of the hidden character indicators. To make /View /Non printing characters the default would cause most users to abandon OpenOffice immediately. That said, I always edit with non printing characters displayed, but have done since before WordStar (do I date myself?)

[John_Ha]

Unfortunately, most users expect the document to look on screen exactly as it will be printed (even to exact size in many cases!) and cannot mentally discount the presence of the hidden character indicators.

Unfortunately, most users don't know what is good for them. I have no idea how they manage to sort out formatting if they don't know what formatting is being used because they cannot see it.

[linuxmick]

OpenOffice 4.1.1
Automatic lines in Writer
1. If you start a new line in a Writer text document by typing three or more hyphen characters and press the Enter key, the characters are removed and the previous paragraph gets a line as a bottom border.
To create a single line, type three or more hyphens (-), or underscores ( _ ), and then press Enter. To create a double line, type three or more equal signs (=), asterisks (*), tildes (~), or hash marks (#), and then press Enter.
2. To remove an automatically drawn border, choose Format - Paragraph - Borders and select no border.
3. To undo an automatic border replacement once, choose Edit - Undo.
4. To disable the automatic borders, choose Tools - AutoCorrect Options - Options and clear Apply border.

[verbalist]

I have tried a number of methods to delete unwanted horizontal lines in Writer.

This advice -- "2. To remove an automatically drawn border, choose Format - Paragraph - Borders and select no border." -- is not working for me.

Any other suggestions? Thanks.

[John_Ha]

The horizontal line is either the top border of a paragraph, or the bottom border of a paragraph. So, to remove it, you must have the cursor in the paragraph in question before removing the border. If you delete the paragraph with the border, the border just moves up (down?) to the previous (next?) paragraph because the default setting is for text to take on the preceding paragraph's attributes.

It is easier to select from before the line(s) to after the line(s) including the unwanted line(s). Now remove the borders in the selected paragraphs by Foormat > Paragraph > Borders ... - it will remove all the borders in the selection - including the unwanted ones.

Setting View > Show hidden characters helps greatly in this (and many other problems). I think it should be the default when AOO is installed, and when AOO opens a document as it is so useful, but so few newcomers know about it.

If this does not work, upload a small example file (128kB max) for someone to have a look at it - use the Upload Attachment tab below where you write your post.

[verbalist]

Thanks. I should have said I had already tried everything suggested in this thread, plus a few others, some possibly involving a live goat and a full moon. However, this time in preparation for uploading a sample I did something different: I cut and pasted the problem section into a new document.

In the process, one of the two under-border lines disappeared from the problem section. I started examining the cut-and-paste document and, perhaps because this was a smaller and more manageable chunk of text than the original document, was able to find the paragraph where the under-border started.

To make a long story a little longer, I was able to remove the under-border from 20 or so paragraphs and finally get it out of the document. I had to do it to each under-bordered paragraph individually. Trying to select a number of paragraphs and remove it in bulk had not worked earlier. Perhaps that was because I had not selected all and only the under-bordered paragraphs.

For future, I'd encourage people having this problem to examine a potentially large number of paragraphs before and perhaps after the problem paragraph and determine where the paragraphs start having the under-border trait. Then remove it individually from every paragraph, using the "format-paragraph-borders-line arrangement default-set no borders" commands. This was somewhat tedious but did eventually remove the lines. I have already set Writer to not automatically create under-borders when several dashes are entered.

Thanks again.

[RoryOF]

An easier way: if one types a series of three of a character often used as a text divider ("-", "=" etc), when one presses Enter to terminate that line, immediately autocorrect will apply a border (if it is set to do that, which it is by default). Once the line appears, choose /Edit /Undo (or Ctrl Z) and the line will vanish.

[John_Ha]

Perhaps that was because I had not selected all and only the under-bordered paragraphs.

Switcth on View > Show non-printing characters ... - it is then obvious which paragraph has the border.

[RoryOF]

Go to the paragraph above the line and /Format /Paragraph. On the Borders tab, select to use no borders.

"Lack of knowledge" can be cured by reading the manuals or using the help file, but these require "intelligence".

[RoryOF]

Without actual hands-on of your file we are guessing in the dark.

[John_Ha]

See [Tutorial] Automatic functions in Writer - enable / disable

It is a paragraph border ...

[mcamember]

I also had this problem with the mysterious double line.
therabi's answer on 10/04/2010 solved it.
Thanks therabi.
afk

[oliverpsmile]

I have the same problem with a very long document to which I added some import
Have tried all solutions above, none works.
OpenOffice 4.1.1 in Windows 8.1 Pro
Please help, this is a book I really need to finish

[RoryOF]

Remove the bottom Border from the Paragraph(s).

[TheOnlyRogueAngel]

I had to do Format > Paragraph > Borders Tab > Line Arrangement box > click on the first box 'set no borders', and click OK. I had to keep doing this a few times, as the double line just moved up the page. Sometimes I had to keep doing it to the top of the page, at which point it disappeared, and sometimes it disappeared after 2-3 tries. It depends how many times you've tried to get rid of it using other means.

[oliverpsmile]

I did, no good
I have a SINGLE line formed after I typed hyphens and pressed enter. It's turned into ghost, cannot delete it, tried all solutions described here above

[RoryOF]

Try this: click cursor in the paragraph with the line. Select /Format /Paragraph. On the Borders tab, on the line weight selector scroll up to "none" and click on that. Then press OK.