Unable to Protect/Unprotect cells in Libreoffice 5

users
#1

Before I go open a bug for this, would appreciate if someone could
confirm this...

We have a ton of Writer Templates with Tables in them, that have
protected cells (with formulas in them), that users sometimes unprotect
(right-click on cell > Cell > Unprotect) to delete the formula and
manually enter numbers.

I just discovered - after updating a lot of our users - that apparently
this is broken in the first 5.x release. There simply is no 'Cell'
context menu option, and nothing in any of the Menus to allow me to
unprotect the cell...

Can anyone else confirm this?

#2

Yes. (5.0.0.5/mint)

There's a main menu option Table|Protect Cells, but apparently no inverse.

However, it seems you can R-click on the table in the navigator and unprotect the entire table. Clumsy.

#3

Clumsy is an understatement - and on top of that it doesn't even work.

Unprotect is not an option, only Protect, so I tried Protecting the
entire Table, then Unprotecting it, but the individual protected cell(s)
remain protected...

#4

Thanks, bug 93713 reported...

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=93713

#5

But I think you may have misread my note.

If you R-click the table *in the navigator* (use F5) there's a Table>Unprotect option. It only appears though if the table does have a protected cell. At least here.... and I have just checked it.

So to recap:
pick a cell and use main menu Table | Protect Cells
then to do a gross undo,
F5 to show the Navigator if necessary, R-click on the table's name and select Table | Unprotect.

As I said, clumsy.

#6

But I think you may have misread my note.

Nope...

If you R-click the table *in the navigator* (use F5) there's a
Table>Unprotect option. It only appears though if the table does have a
protected cell. At least here.... and I have just checked it.

That is what I did, and you are correct that the choice is there.

But my point was that it did not unprotect the cell. It allowed me to
unprotect the entire Table, but the cell was still protected.

So, it doesn't 'work' as a workaround.

Also, Cor just confirmed that they intentionally (WHY???) removed the
context menu, but that there is a bug in that there should be an option
to unprotect the cell from the Table Menu.

Now to go open a bug/feature request to bring back the most useful
context menu choice for this...

#7

Done... bug 93714

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=93714

#8

I copied a table from calc to write. Protected the calculated data of two columns and unprotected with the procedure sugested by Mike Scott.

I repeated the protection, protecting first the last two columns and
later, the whole table. After that, I desprotected all the cells,
including the cells in the first two columns, following the
procedure of Mike Scott.

Two observations:

- I use LO version 5.0.0.5 on Windows 7 starter (with SP1).
- I was working in high contrast mode
   (black background - white letters). When I selected the whole table
   only the unprotected cells where selected. Even more, if I wanted
   to select cells from the last two columns, was not possible.
   I supossed, because where protected.

#9

This bug isn't about embedded spreadsheets, it is about WRITER TABLES.
They are two totally different things.

To reproduce:

1. Open new blank Writer document.
2. Click on the Table menu, click on 'Insert Table'.
3. Click inside a cell.
4. Click the 'Table' menu, click on 'Protect Cells'

Now try to unprotect the cell you just protected. There is no way to do it.

Protecting/Unprotecting the entire Table using the Navigator does NOT
unprotect the cell that you protected.

#10

There are a few ways to make the "Unprotect Cells" option visible:

  o Customize the Table menu by adding the "Unprotect Cells" entry.

  o With the "Tables" toolbar visible, right click on the toolbar and
    select "Unprotect Cells" from the context menu.

  o Customize the "Tables" toolbar by adding the "Unprotect Cells"
    button.

HTH

Dave

#11

Sorry this should have read:

  o Right click on the "Tables" toolbar & select "Unprotect Cells"
    from the "Visible Buttons" list.

Dave

#12

Thanks Dave, I did figure this out from a couple of comments in the bugs
I opened, and at least I can work around this for the users I've already
upgraded.

But, we shouldn't have to do this, so the bug will stay open to just add
the relevant menu entries - and to bring these two back to the context menu.

#13

I copy the table from calc and asted as rtf on writer, as I reported.

What's important I believe, is that I am working on Windows.

#14

I copy the table from calc and asted as rtf on writer, as I reported.

I know...

What's important I believe, is that I am working on Windows.

No, what is important is, if your intention is to attempt to reproduce a
bug, that you ... attempt to reproduce the bug AS DESCRIBED.

Saying that you turned on your windshield wipers, and they work, in
order to try to reproduce a bug that involves the passenger automatic
window is just plain silly.

#15

Tanstaafl wrote

But, we shouldn't have to do this, so the bug will stay open to just add
the relevant menu entries - and to bring these two back to the context
menu.

Sorry, but the context menu rework and changes to the Table toolbar and menu
were committed in April 2015, and have been that way on all builds of
master, the entire 5.0.0 beta run, and for all 5.0.0 release candidates
since then.

The change to the Table menu to add the missing "Unprotect Cells" as in
tdf#93713 <https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=93713> will
correct that oversight, but there has been ample time to preview and comment
on the many GUI and design issues that come with the 5.0 release. I'd
invite folks to stay more involved with development and QA going forward.

From a Design UX-advise perspective the HIG work dictates that we simplify

the user interface for the benefit of our beginner users--the context menus
were put on a diet accordingly :smiley:

=-ref-=
https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/#/c/15535/

#16

I completely and totally disagree that a 'Cell' related context menu -
when right-clicking on a cell in a table - would 'complicate' the
context menu in any way. In fact, I think it makes it improves the UI
for new users.

I understand the idea of simplifying things for new users, but I totally
disagree that that should be some kind of massively major focus,
especially to the point of making things more difficult for your
existing user base.

But whatever, I'll go and create a new enhancement request to allow
customizing the context menus.

Maybe there has been ample time to play with the alpha and beta
releases, but you do realize that suggesting that we should be able to
find every little thing like this just from playing with them is - well,
a bit ridiculous.

Fyi: major changes like this should be ANNOUNCED - and specific requests
to look for changes in certain areas and please test and comment would
go a long way to helping us help you.

#17

I totally agree with Tanstaafl. What USERS want for all menu's should always be the primary driver of design. A long established design should not be changed cavalierly wither user comment input.

+1

Joe Conner, Poulsbo, WA USA

#18

Sorry, it is in the Context menu section of the 5.0 release notes
<https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/5.0#Context_menus> (been
there for a while), where it is linked to the BZ as tdf#86619
<https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=86619> -- with work
started in November of 2014.

Also was discussed/reported multiple times in the Weekly Design/UX - Advise
hangouts along the way.

#19

Hi everybody:

   I've seen that certain bugs or issues appear in LibreOffice versions that before didn't exist. Why ?

   I understand that when the programers working in new version "touch" the code in other parts and get a new bug. I think is very dificult not occur this.

   How we can help with this ?

   We, the users can make one example to each topic of the menu of LibreOffice can do. Then when coming new version before out we can probe each example during one week and make a report to programers. With this reports, just following the menu, they can fix the bugs that apear before freeing the new version.

   The other way is to make a macro to probe each topic of the menu to do it automatically.
  
Regards,

Jorge Rodríguez

#20

jorge-2 wrote

...

   How we can help with this ?

   We, the users can make one example to each topic of the menu of
LibreOffice can do. Then when coming new version before out we can probe
each example during one week and make a report to programers. With this
reports, just following the menu, they can fix the bugs that apear before
freeing the new version.

   The other way is to make a macro to probe each topic of the menu to do
it automatically.

It is already there.

LibreOffice "Regression Testing," both automated and manual, is continual
and ongoing:

https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/Testing/Regression_Tests

Individuals, please note that the LibreOffice project runs a MozTrap based
test suite for performing exactly this manual testing--with guided test
cases--but it is woefully underutilized by the broader user community. If
you are interested, check it out:

https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/MozTrap/User_Guide
http://manual-test.libreoffice.org/results/runs/?

The learning curve is a little steep for folks to get registered and get a
test case open, but is worth the effort as the results ARE reviewed and
integrated into the QA process. The Engineering Steering Committee reviews
results bi-weekly.