https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=167314
Bug ID: 167314
Summary: Search Function Fails to Locate Text Containing Word
Joiner (U+2060)
Product: LibreOffice
Version: Inherited From OOo
Hardware: All
OS: All
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: medium
Component: Writer
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
The LibreOffice search function (Find & Replace, Ctrl+F) fails to locate text
strings that contain a Word Joiner (U+2060) character embedded within them,
even when the "Show Formatting Marks" option is enabled and the character is
visibly present.
Steps to Reproduce:
Open LibreOffice Writer.
Type a word, for example, "test".
Place your cursor in the middle of the word (e.g., between 'e' and 's').
Insert a Word Joiner (U+2060) character. This can typically be done via Insert
> Formatting Mark > Word Joiner or by typing its Unicode sequence (U+2060 then
Alt+X) if your system supports it. You should see a small bar or similar
indicator if "Show Formatting Marks" (View > Formatting Marks) is enabled.
Example Resulting Text (with formatting marks visible): t e•s t (where '•'
represents the Word Joiner)
Press Ctrl+F to open the Find & Replace dialog.
In the "Find" field, type the full word, "test".
Click "Find Next".
Actual Results:
The search function does not find the word "test" that contains the embedded
Word Joiner.
Expected Results:
The search function should find the word "test" even when it contains an
embedded Word Joiner, as the Word Joiner is a non-displaying formatting mark
intended to control line breaking, not to alter the textual content for search
purposes. Users should be able to locate text strings regardless of the
presence of such non-semantic formatting characters.
Workaround (if any):
Currently, no effective workaround exists other than manually inspecting text
for formatting marks or removing them before searching. Searching for parts of
the word (e.g., "te" or "st") might yield results, but this is not a viable
solution for finding the complete string.
Severity:
Medium - This issue significantly impacts user experience by making it
difficult or impossible to locate specific text within documents, especially in
cases where Word Joiners are used for specific formatting requirements (e.g.,
preventing line breaks in specific compound words or codes).
Additional Notes:
This issue seems to apply specifically to the Word Joiner (U+2060) but may
extend to other zero-width formatting characters. It suggests that the search
algorithm might be treating these characters as separators or entirely ignoring
them in a way that breaks standard string matching.
--
You are receiving this mail because:
You are the assignee for the bug.
