Bug report -- Libre Ofice version 4.1.3.2

users
#1

Version: 4.1.3.2
Build ID: 70feb7d99726f064edab4605a8ab840c50ec57a

Libre Office (which I've been using for about an hour so far) looks to be a
well-featured and powerful suite, and it doesn't have the dangerous bug
which caused me to stop using Open Office (OO, at least the version I had,
will open encrypted Word documents, but on saving silently converts them to
unencrypted -- nasty, since they were encrypted for a reason.)

Unfortunately, I have already found bugs in Libre Office Writer:

1) There is no way (that I have found) to insert the date and time as text;
the only option is to insert them as a field, meaning that the next time
the document is opened, the date and time shown would be when it was
re-opened, rather than when it was last edited which is what I want. I had
to take the file back into MS Word just to add the date and time, but I
want to be rid of Word.

2) Although it seems to have correctly picked up my locale (UK) from
Windows, the same is not true of date format; even though the formats shown
are European format, the actual field code inserted was American.

3) I defined a template for International format (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM), but
although I clicked the Add button and the change seemed to be accepted, but
the new template just vanished.

#2

The simple way of adding a date: Insert->fields->date will add a date that does not change. You have to go through a few more steps to get a date that is current when the file is opened.
So, no problem with this one.

I will leave the other questions to those that are more expert.

bill

#3

Just a heads up that the user list is not the appropriate place to report bugs. If you are asking for advice - good place to be, if you are finding bugs you should report on our bug tracker (bugs.freedesktop.org) as very few developers actually check the user list (they are just too busy to do so).

Also, as for the silently stripping out encryption - that's good to know that it's been resolved. I am relatively sure that LibreOffice had the issue at one point also.

All the best,
Joel

#4

** Reply to message from william drescher <william@TechServSys.com> on Sat,
23 Nov 2013 08:01:57 -0500

>
> 1) There is no way (that I have found) to insert the date and time as text;
> the only option is to insert them as a field, meaning that the next time
> the document is opened, the date and time shown would be when it was
> re-opened, rather than when it was last edited which is what I want. I had
> to take the file back into MS Word just to add the date and time, but I
> want to be rid of Word.
>

The simple way of adding a date: Insert->fields->date will add a
date that does not change. You have to go through a few more
steps to get a date that is current when the file is opened.
So, no problem with this one.

I will leave the other questions to those that are more expert.

bill

Just to clarify this a little more, in Writer the default seems to be to
insert a fixed date and or time. If you RMB on the field and select field
from the popup menu that will give you all the options for format and whether
it is a fixed value or updates each time it is opened.

Calc is a different story. It seems as if there is no way, at least according
to the Help file, to use a fixed date field in a footer or header. I have to
manually insert the date as text if I don't want it to change. Of course
fixed dates and times can also be manually inserted in cells.

Cliff

#5

I think what the Original Poster was seeking was a "semi-fixed" date.

A fixed date would simply be the same as if one typed in the date by hand. It would never change. A "dynamic" date field would change every time the date changed. What I think the OP wants is for the field to reflect the date on which the file was last edited and saved. So, oversimplifying the question, there would be three possible dates -- the original date the file was created, the last time the file was edited and saved, and the current date (whenever that may be). It appears from a quick glance at LO's field dialogs that one can get the first and third options, but not the second. But, I'm not an expert on date fields.

While I agree this might be helpful, I would not characterize it as a "bug." Perhaps a feature request (if in fact LO can't do what the OP wants)

Virgil

#6

Hi Everyone,

About a year to a year and a half ago the question was asked on this list about when a date is filled in automatically, how it can be saved as the date that the file is saved, and the file will open automatically with the saved date instead of the current date the next time it is opened. The answer was fairly simple. I have minimal need for this and didn't write it down. Maybe the regulars to this list will remember the answer.

Don

#7

** Reply to message from "Don C. Myers" <donmyers@myersfarm.com> on Sat, 23
Nov 2013 20:34:16 -0500

The question is how to automate it. One could manually delete the date field
and reenter it when editing. That way it would have the current date and not
change, but automation could be a challenge.

Cliff

#8

Go to Insert | Fields > | Other... | Document. Under Type select Date and under Select select Date - not "Date (fixed)". One point of confusion is that at Insert | Fields > you will see a Date entry - but this is actually the "Date (fixed)" variety, not the (variable) Date that you need. So ignore that and proceed to Other... .

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker

#9

The last time the program was modified is saved to the file in its properties (metadata). And, at least in Windows, the last time the program was saved is included in the file's attributes. I'm not a programmer, but I have to believe that that it would a fairly simple thing to have a field make reference to this information that's already saved in the file.

Virgil

#10

Sorry. What does RMB stand for?

#11

** Reply to message from Charles Smith <chuc@chucsmith.org> on Sun, 24 Nov
2013 07:48:08 -0600

> If you RMB on the field
Sorry. What does RMB stand for?

Right Mouse Button.

#12

** Reply to message from Brian Barker <b.m.barker@btinternet.com> on Sun, 24
Nov 2013 03:10:49 +0000

>About a year to a year and a half ago the question was asked on this
>list about when a date is filled in automatically, how it can be
>saved as the date that the file is saved, and the file will open
>automatically with the saved date instead of the current date the
>next time it is opened.

Go to Insert | Fields > | Other... | Document. Under Type select
Date and under Select select Date - not "Date (fixed)". One point of
confusion is that at Insert | Fields > you will see a Date entry -
but this is actually the "Date (fixed)" variety, not the (variable)
Date that you need. So ignore that and proceed to Other... .

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker

Brian,

This gives a date and or time that updates everytime the file is opened, not
only when edited which it appears is what the poster was looking for.

Cliff

#13

Hi Robert,

1) There is no way (that I have found) to insert the date and time as text;
the only option is to insert them as a field, meaning that the next time
the document is opened, the date and time shown would be when it was
re-opened, rather than when it was last edited which is what I want. I had
to take the file back into MS Word just to add the date and time, but I
want to be rid of Word.

This is functionality that has to my knowledge never existed in the product (not even in OpenOffice.org or StarOffice before it), so it is not a bug, but you could file a feature request for it in the bugzilla tracker.

Alex

#14

I haven't tested this, but a quick perusal led me to:

Insert->Fields->Other->DocInformation TAB->Modified->Select Date/Time... may need to tick "Fixed Content" checkbox, I don't know.

Which isn't necessarily the date the file is _saved_, but _appears to be_ the date the file was *_last modified_* which I suspect is what the OP really wanted.

#15

** Reply to message from A <publicface@bak.rr.com> on Mon, 25 Nov 2013
09:55:26 -0800

Great! I just tested this and it does use the date/time last modified. You
don't need to tick anything else, just insert the field. Works it should.
Thanks for tracking this option down. Will be very useful.

Cliff

#16

I think you may have it. I just tried it on a file I modified yesterday, and I got yesterday's date.

This is an excellent example of how we users often conclude that a program can't do something when all we're lacking is more information.

It's also an example of how the LO developers might make such a feature a little more intuitive to find. I would never have dreamed to look anywhere other than "date."

Virgil

#17

It's true it's buried pretty deep, and the only reason I was able to find it was because I happened to be looking for DocInformation I needed just the other day and it ocurred to me that this sort of info. would probably be contained there. Only the OP knows whether or not "Last Saved Date" and "Last Modified Date" are equivalent for his case. In truth, they are not but the question is - is there value in making the distinction? I'm not sure there is, and I don't know if Brian Barker's method does in fact provide the Last Saved Date or not. If it does, great - and if he says it does then I assume he's correct. I wasn't able to find it, but I admit I didn't spend much time looking for it.

    Go to Insert | Fields > | Other... | Document. Under Type select
    Date and under Select select Date - not "Date (fixed)". One point of
    confusion is that at Insert | Fields > you will see a Date entry -
    but this is actually the "Date (fixed)" variety, not the (variable)
    Date that you need. So ignore that and proceed to Other... .

It might make sense to move everything involving the insertion of dates into the above noted "Under Type select Date...". Anytime someone says "One point of confusion..." then you know something needs to be looked at a bit more and see if a way can't be found to eliminate the confusion. This is where someone highly skilled in UI design and/or Human Factors and/or Usability Design would be very helpful. Is my suggestion the best answer or is it better to leave things as they are? I honestly don't know and I'm not sure it's worth spending the brain cycles on it.

#18

Oh, that's most unwise!

Brian Barker

#19

A wrote:

It might make sense to move everything involving the insertion of dates
into the above noted "Under Type select Date...". Anytime someone says
"One point of confusion..." then you know something needs to be looked
at a bit more and see if a way can't be found to eliminate the
confusion.

One point that many developers as well as users miss is that menus do
not need to be a tree structure. You can have more than one path through
the menu structure to reach the same function.

So it might be possible to keep this date function both where it is now
*AND* have it appear under the Date menu. Best of both worlds.

#20

... I don't know if Brian Barker's method does in fact provide the Last Saved Date or not. If it does, great - and if he says it does then I assume he's correct.

Oh, that's most unwise!

wow! correct again! amazing!

F.