https://bz.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=125327
--- Comment #6 from Khaled <[email protected]> --- OpenOffice Version: Apache OpenOffice 4.2.0 (AOO420m1(Build:9800) – Rev.1692551) Apache OpenOffice 4.1.1 (AOO411m6(Build:9775) – Rev.1617669) Computer configuration: Windows 7 Professional 2009 (64-bit) machine running Intel (R) Core ™ i7CPU @ 2.40GHz and 8 GB installed memory I was able to understand the reporter problem with AOO’s comments. Also, I created my own OO document with both OO 4.2.0 and OO 4.1.1 in order to investigate the issue. The simple steps to add comments are: 1. Open the OO document, 2. Put the cursor on the position that you want to comment on, 3. Open the “Insert” menu and select the command “Comment” (you can also press Ctrl+Alt+C), 4. A comment box appears on the right side of the page, then you start writing your comments, 5. The overhead steps can be repeated in order to add more new comments. In addition to my investigation on OO, I created 2 other documents with MS Word and Adobe Acrobat and started playing with comments. I checked “Help” about comments in both as well. I wanted to check how these word processing products manipulate and present this benefit (comments). From the original report, comments on this report, and my investigation, I came with a set of points (please look at the attached file “Comment style in OO”): • When the comment are created, they are linked to the positions with colored dotted lines that cross the entire page. Imagine that you have a lot of comments and each one has its own linked line. How your page’s appearance and readability would be? How annoying and distracting this can be? • When you create many comments on many things that exist on the same line, the lines override each other. So, it is hard to distinguish between these comments’ pointers. • The size of comment is larger than it is supposed to be. A comment with only one word takes a space for 3 extra lines (look at comments Z1, A1, B3 in the attached file). • There is only one side that you can stick your comment on which is the right side. If you want to comment on something on the far left, you are going to have long linked lines. So, should it be much better to let the user decide the side to stick the comments on? Also, the right side could be annoying and distracting to those who use right-to-left language entries because the beginning of sentences and comment become very close. • There is no option for reply on comments. If you need to reply, you need to create a new comment inside the one that you want to reply to. Users need to figure out this. • It is really hard to notice replies because they are separated and look like other comments. The only way to find out is to read the headers of the comments. • When adding comment, there is no option left except deleting it. What about the comment style in the other word processing products? - MS Word Processor (please look at the attached file “Comment style in MS-Word”): • There is no linked line. The comment is only linked, the linked line appears, to the position when the comment is chosen. So, the page always keeps clean. • The target position is colored, colored word, when the comment is chosen. This makes it easy to find. • The comment takes only the space it needs. These is no wasting space. Also, all comments are shorten and extend only when you click on them. • There is clear arrow inside the comment to reply. Also, the replies stay inside the same comment, indented under the original comment, which makes it easy to find and follow. • The comment can be marked with “Done” when it is done reviewed. • MS-Word keeps comments in the right side which may makes an issue with right-to-left language entries. - Adobe Acrobat (please look at the attached file” Comment style in Adobe PDF”): • There is no linked line at all. The comments can appear on the right side, but they can be omitted and only appear when you point on the position in the page. So, the page always keeps clean. • The comment, small icons, can be placed anywhere in the page. They should be placed upper the position you want to comment on. • There are many different types of comments that can be added like sticky note which is similar to those in OO and MS-Word, attached files which cloud be any separated files with long descriptions, attached record files which include vocal comments, etc. • Replies to comments stay inside the same comment, indented under the original comment, which makes it easy to find and follow. • The comment can be marked with many status like “Done”, “Accepted”, “Canceled”. • The comment can take many different shapes and forms as shown in the attached file. Users can choose what shape, color of comment they like. • The comments can be omitted or extended in the right side • The comment shows how many replies have been made. • Users can draw comments, if they do not like what it is available, and stick them anywhere in the page. In Conclusion, I think that the comment feature in AOO needs to be improved in order to satisfy users and compete with the similar feature in other word processing products like MS-Word and Adobe Acrobat. The exact comment style is applied in both versions (AOO420 & AOO411). I also checked other related bugs with comments like Issue 120704, Issue 125085 and Issue 126330. I believe that the comment style in Adobe Acrobat is amazing and very efficient. I showed the 3 different attached documents to may lab-mates and asked them to rank the files after spending time playing with the comment feature in each one. A considerable number selects Adobe Acrobat as their first choice while the others go for MS-Word. Noticeably, all may lab-mates ranked the comment style in the OpenOffice document in the last position. -- You are receiving this mail because: You are the assignee for the issue.
