Error log

This page documents the quirks of using Octomode, which are part of the culture of using free software to make graphic design.

02.05.2023: An unexpected column jump

Images cut off in PDF exported from Firefox

The automagical column jump

The intention was to make a multi-page report, which has a cover page and text flowing across two columns, beginning on page 2. The document was made using the Firefox browser over the course of a week or so. Everything looked great, until the PDF was exported, which showed images breaking across columns. Strange, as this was not how it appeared in the PDF as it was rendered in the browser.

So, the switch was made to Chrome, which was recommended as a more stable browser to work with. But in Chrome, there was an entirely different issue. On page 2, the text did not flow across two columns. Instead, it jumped from the left-hand column on page 2, to page 3.

In the CSS, the property and values columns: 2 auto; were previously applied to a class called .columns. In the pad, this class had also been added on page 2, like so:

<section class="columns">

When inspecting the elements, it appeared that the <section> tag had been closed at the end of the first column automagically. So, the text did not flow to the second column, as the browser thought this was the end of the section?

After much searching online, gnashing of teeth and hand-wringing, the issue was solved by adding <section class="columns"> to the cover (page 1), then a bunch of break tags:

<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><br/>

This pushed the text down to page 2, where it flowed across both columns, as originally intended.