Captions

You can add continuously numbered captions to graphics, tables, frames, and drawing objects. You can also edit the text and the number ranges for different types of captions.

Adding Captions

When you add a caption to a picture or to an object, the object and the caption text are placed together in a new frame. When you add a caption to a table, the caption text is inserted as a paragraph next to the table. When you add a caption to a frame, the caption text is added to the text inside the frame, either before or after the existing text.

1.Select the item that you want to add a caption to.

2.From the Insert menu, choose Caption.

3.Type a name for the caption in the empty box at the top of the window.

4.Select a caption category.

5.Click OK.

A caption is formatted with the paragraph style that matches the name of the caption. For example, if you choose Figure for your caption category, the paragraph style used is called Figure. You can modify the paragraph style as needed.

Note: OpenOffice.org can automatically add a caption when you insert an object, graphic, frame, or table. Choose Insert > Caption > AutoCaption. Select the options you want and click OK. A disadvantage of automatically-generated captions is that no footnotes can be incorporated. If that is a requirement, it is probably best to insert captions manually as you add each graphic.

Moving and Editing Captions

To move both the object and the caption, drag the frame that contains both items. Press F9 to update the caption numbering after you move the frame into place.

You can edit the caption text directly in the document just as you would any other text.