Feature request: Page style break after this page

[kjmatthews]

I think this is a fairly self-explanatory feature request. There are numerous situations where I would like to modify page style wherever the "natural" page break occurs in the text flow. This is particularly useful at the beginning of chapters, where page enumeration style and header/footer content tends to be different than on internal chapter pages. The current implementation of the page style break cannot accommodate this because it does not anchor itself to the end of a page, but rather forces a page break at the place where it is defined. My sense is that the page style break would be more useful if the user had to be explicit about wanting the actual page break as well. It would mean an extra keystroke for users who want the page break, but a lot more flexibility for those who don't.

(This would also solve all of my problems with dissertation pagination, which is not negligible.)

I'm curious how much traction this might have among users who frequent the forums.

[rpcameron]

I'm not quite sure how one would define a "page break after this page"; what defines "this page"?

I think the more common format is to have a page break/page style break before an particular Auto-Title or paragraph style.

[kjmatthews]

I'm not quite sure how one would define a "page break after this page"; what defines "this page"?

I don't know what you mean. I mean "page" in the most pedestrian sense possible. Mellel understands what a page is already: we have page styles, page breaks, page numbers, etc. Anything you type in Mellel is automatically organized into pages. If you type enough text, eventually you'll be typing on page 2. In any case, what I'm interested in is the style break after this page, not the page break.

I think the more common format is to have a page break/page style break before an particular Auto-Title or paragraph style.

This wouldn't really solve the use case I'm trying to problem solve. Let's say I'm typing a novel, and I want the page number to be centered in the footer on the first page of each chapter (with an empty header), but want subsequent page numbers to appear left- or right-justified in the header (with an empty footer). I could begin a chapter on, say, page 63. I set the page style for p. 63 to "page number centered in the footer," and set a page style break to go into effect after page 63 (i.e. when page 64 begins). I begin typing on page 63, and wherever the page break happens to naturally occur the page style automatically switches to "page number justified in the header" once I hit page 64.

The current implementation of "page style break" requires me to insert a page break along with the style break at the end of page 63 if I want page 64 to use a different page style. What if I'm in the middle of a paragraph? What if the text is justified? My text flow is ruined. Almost every book I own is typeset this way: the first page of each chapter is set differently than the rest, at least insofar as the header, footer, and page number are concerned, so I know this is not an uncommon scenario.

[rpcameron]

Ah, I think I understand what you mean—I was a bit confused at first. Perhaps it might be best to allow for different header/footer on the first page of a page style. Mellel allows you to suppress the header/footer of a first page, and have different headers/footers for even and odd pages, but presently there is no way to automatically have a different header/footer for the first page of a page style.

I wonder if anyone has a work-around for having a different header/footer for the first page of a page style that does not include manually inserting a new page style.

[ozean]

I was a bit confused first too, but now I think that sounds like a really nice feature. Much more flexible than the no/different header on first page solution that we currently have! I heartily second this request

[rpcameron]

I was a bit confused first too, but now I think that sounds like a really nice feature. Much more flexible than the no/different header on first page solution that we currently have! I heartily second this request

Wait a minute, are you saying that there is a "different header on first page solution" presently? I looked for a method to do just that, but short of a page style break I was unable to find a way to achieve this. (Especially since that is what it appears the OP is looking for.)

[ozean]

Sorry for causing confusion! No there isn’t.

(I put the “different” in there because I also thought about other word processors who offer a “different header for first page” solution.)