https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=169883
Bug ID: 169883
Summary: Critical Formatting Bug: RTL Text Overrun (Syriac/CTL)
where Visual Boundary Exceeds Logical Margin
Product: LibreOffice
Version: 7.6.2.1 release
Hardware: All
OS: Windows (All)
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: medium
Component: Writer
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
Description:
That's a very productive step! Reporting this to LibreOffice support will help
them improve the handling of Complex Text Layout (CTL) for scholarly work like
yours.
I can certainly draft a detailed email for you, outlining the problem, the
specific context (Syriac/RTL/CTL), and proposing the paragraph indent solution
you identified.
Here is a draft focusing on clarity and technical detail:
📧 LibreOffice Bug Report Draft
Subject: Critical Formatting Bug: RTL Text Overrun (Syriac/CTL) where Visual
Boundary Exceeds Logical Margin
Dear LibreOffice Support Team,
I am writing to report a critical formatting bug encountered while processing
Right-to-Left (RTL) text using the Complex Text Layout (CTL) features in
LibreOffice Writer (Version: [Insert your LibreOffice Version Here] on Windows
10).
The issue prevents accurate transcription for scholarly projects involving
ancient languages.
1. The Problem Description
When working with Syriac (Estrangelo script, Unicode U+0700 block) in an RTL
environment:
Setup: CTL is enabled (via Tools > Options > Language Settings > Languages
> Complex text layout checked, and language set to Arabic (Syria)).
Action: Syriac Unicode text is pasted into a document and the RTL direction
button is applied.
Bug: On some lines, the text visually overruns the page's right border
margin. The text spills into the white space outside the defined page boundary.
Secondary Issue: Due to this visual overflow, the text becomes unselectable
via mouse-drag within the overflowed area. The selection boundary does not map
correctly to the character coordinates in the overflow zone, requiring keyboard
selection (Shift + Arrow keys) to highlight the characters.
2. Analysis of the Mis-Match
The problem appears to be a mis-match between the document's inherited
Left-to-Right (LTR) margin/indent settings and the application of the RTL flow.
When RTL is applied, the text begins flowing from the right margin. The
visual right boundary of the text does not properly respect the page's right
margin setting or the paragraph's default Before text indent, leading to the
text starting "outside" the margin.
3. Suggested Workaround (Solution)
The current workaround confirms that the issue is with the paragraph indent
settings not updating correctly for RTL flow:
Workaround: Manually selecting the Syriac text and navigating to Format >
Paragraph > Indents & Spacing.
The Fix: Setting the Before text indent to a non-zero value (e.g., 0.10")
forces the RTL text to respect a new boundary, pulling the visually overrun
text back inside the column margin.
4. Proposed Solution for Development
The ideal fix would involve LibreOffice Writer automatically and correctly
mapping the page's right margin to the paragraph's Before text indent when the
RTL Direction is applied.
Recommendation: Please investigate why the default Before text indent fails to
restrain the text boundary when the CTL/RTL feature is applied, especially when
pasting Unicode text.
Thank you for your attention to this issue. Let me know if you require any
further screenshots or diagnostic information.
Sincerely,
Richard Caruana
Steps to Reproduce:
1.select font EstrangeloTaladaRegular - 18
Paste Syriac text for Ode 5 - Odes of Solomon int LO
2.
ܙܡܝܪܬܐ ܕܗ
ܢܬܝ̈ܢ ܐܢܘܢ ܐܝ̈ܕܝ ܓܠܝ̈ܙܝܐ
ܘܥܒܕܬܝ̈ܢ ܢܫܡܐ ܒܡܕ̈ܡ ܕܡܐ ܕܐܦܠܚܝܢ܆
ܡܛܠ ܕܐܢ ܦܢܝܫܐ ܕܐ̈ܠܗܐ ܐܝ̈ܕܝܼܗܘܢ ܦܢܝ̈ܫܢ܆
ܘܫܘܡܠܝܐ ܕܥܒ̈ܕܗܘܢ܆
ܒܪ̈ܬ ܙܡܝܪ̈ܬܐ ܐܢܘܢ.
ܘܐܬܝܼܬܝ ܠܬܚܘܝܬ ܫܡܐ ܕܡܬܥܙܥܙܝܐ܆
ܘܠܒܫܬܝܼܗ̇ ܠܡܬܚܙܝܬܗ ܕܡܐܪܝ܆
ܘܐܬܟܫܢܬܝ ܠܒܝܬܗ ܕܡܬܚܙܝܢܐ܆
ܘܒܝܬ ܡܘܬܒܗ ܗܟܢܐ܆
ܐܫܬܡܠܝܬܝ ܒܚܘ̈ܒܐ܆ ܘܒܐܘܪܐ ܐܬܬܨܪܬܝ.
ܡܐܬܝܼܢ ܠܗܕܡܝ̈ܗܝ܆
ܐܝ̈ܕܝܼܗܝ ܡܫܡܠܝܢܝ ܘܩܕܫܝܢܝ܆
ܫܘܠܡܗܘܢ ܗܟܢܐ܆
ܗܠܝܢ ܐܦܠܚܝܢ܆
ܒܚܘܝܬܐ ܕܫܡܗ̇ ܕܐܠܗܐ܆
ܘܫܘܚܠܦ ܢܫܡܬܐ ܕܒܕܘ̈ܝܐ܆ ܘܫܪܪܐ ܕܗܢܘܢ ܕܡܘܕܥܝܢ.
ܚܘܝܢܝ ܡܐܪܝ ܠܐ̈ܢܫܐ ܒܐܝ̈ܕܝܼܗܝ ܦܢܝ̈ܫܬܐ
ܕܒܝܠܗܝܢ ܐܬܝܚܕܝ ܐܢܐ܆
ܘܕܒܝܠܗܝܢ ܐܬܚܘܝܬܝ ܒܡܚܬܬ ܪܘܚܗ܆
ܡܛܠ ܕܐܝ̈ܕܝܗܝ ܦܪܫܝ ܐܢܝܢ܆
ܘܕܪ̈ܥܝܼܗܝ ܕܝ̈ܠܗܘܢ ܡܬ̈ܚܢ܆
ܠܚܘܝܬ ܫܡܐ ܕܗܢܘܢ܆
ܘܡܬܝܒܠܢ ܒܐܬܪ̈ܘܬܐ ܕܐܢܘܢ ܕܡܨܛܥܪܝܢ܆
ܘܕܐܝ̈ܠܝܢ ܕܡܬܚܫܚܝܢ.
ܘܩܠܗܘܢ ܐܝܟ ܪ̈ܥܕܐ܆ ܘܪ̈ܘܟܐ ܐܝܟ ܒܪܩܐ܆
ܘܫܪܝܪܐ ܐܢܘܢ ܗܠܝܢ ܕܡܬܚܙܝܢ܆
ܫܡܐ ܕܡܪܝܐ܆ ܒܝܠܗܝܢ ܡܬܠܒܫ܆
ܘܐܝ̈ܕܝ ܡܪܝܐ ܥܒܕܝ ܐܢܝܢ܆
ܠܡܬܠܐ ܕܚܘܫܒܗ܆
ܗܠܠܘܝܐ܀
3.
Actual Results:
1.select font EstrangeloTaladaRegular - 18
Paste Syriac text for Ode 5 - Odes of Solomon int LO
2.
ܙܡܝܪܬܐ ܕܗ
ܢܬܝ̈ܢ ܐܢܘܢ ܐܝ̈ܕܝ ܓܠܝ̈ܙܝܐ
ܘܥܒܕܬܝ̈ܢ ܢܫܡܐ ܒܡܕ̈ܡ ܕܡܐ ܕܐܦܠܚܝܢ܆
ܡܛܠ ܕܐܢ ܦܢܝܫܐ ܕܐ̈ܠܗܐ ܐܝ̈ܕܝܼܗܘܢ ܦܢܝ̈ܫܢ܆
ܘܫܘܡܠܝܐ ܕܥܒ̈ܕܗܘܢ܆
ܒܪ̈ܬ ܙܡܝܪ̈ܬܐ ܐܢܘܢ.
ܘܐܬܝܼܬܝ ܠܬܚܘܝܬ ܫܡܐ ܕܡܬܥܙܥܙܝܐ܆
ܘܠܒܫܬܝܼܗ̇ ܠܡܬܚܙܝܬܗ ܕܡܐܪܝ܆
ܘܐܬܟܫܢܬܝ ܠܒܝܬܗ ܕܡܬܚܙܝܢܐ܆
ܘܒܝܬ ܡܘܬܒܗ ܗܟܢܐ܆
ܐܫܬܡܠܝܬܝ ܒܚܘ̈ܒܐ܆ ܘܒܐܘܪܐ ܐܬܬܨܪܬܝ.
ܡܐܬܝܼܢ ܠܗܕܡܝ̈ܗܝ܆
ܐܝ̈ܕܝܼܗܝ ܡܫܡܠܝܢܝ ܘܩܕܫܝܢܝ܆
ܫܘܠܡܗܘܢ ܗܟܢܐ܆
ܗܠܝܢ ܐܦܠܚܝܢ܆
ܒܚܘܝܬܐ ܕܫܡܗ̇ ܕܐܠܗܐ܆
ܘܫܘܚܠܦ ܢܫܡܬܐ ܕܒܕܘ̈ܝܐ܆ ܘܫܪܪܐ ܕܗܢܘܢ ܕܡܘܕܥܝܢ.
ܚܘܝܢܝ ܡܐܪܝ ܠܐ̈ܢܫܐ ܒܐܝ̈ܕܝܼܗܝ ܦܢܝ̈ܫܬܐ
ܕܒܝܠܗܝܢ ܐܬܝܚܕܝ ܐܢܐ܆
ܘܕܒܝܠܗܝܢ ܐܬܚܘܝܬܝ ܒܡܚܬܬ ܪܘܚܗ܆
ܡܛܠ ܕܐܝ̈ܕܝܗܝ ܦܪܫܝ ܐܢܝܢ܆
ܘܕܪ̈ܥܝܼܗܝ ܕܝ̈ܠܗܘܢ ܡܬ̈ܚܢ܆
ܠܚܘܝܬ ܫܡܐ ܕܗܢܘܢ܆
ܘܡܬܝܒܠܢ ܒܐܬܪ̈ܘܬܐ ܕܐܢܘܢ ܕܡܨܛܥܪܝܢ܆
ܘܕܐܝ̈ܠܝܢ ܕܡܬܚܫܚܝܢ.
ܘܩܠܗܘܢ ܐܝܟ ܪ̈ܥܕܐ܆ ܘܪ̈ܘܟܐ ܐܝܟ ܒܪܩܐ܆
ܘܫܪܝܪܐ ܐܢܘܢ ܗܠܝܢ ܕܡܬܚܙܝܢ܆
ܫܡܐ ܕܡܪܝܐ܆ ܒܝܠܗܝܢ ܡܬܠܒܫ܆
ܘܐܝ̈ܕܝ ܡܪܝܐ ܥܒܕܝ ܐܢܝܢ܆
ܠܡܬܠܐ ܕܚܘܫܒܗ܆
ܗܠܠܘܝܐ܀
3.
Expected Results:
the text should not exceed border margin on right. ( after setting
justification to right margin)
Reproducible: Always
User Profile Reset: No
Additional Info:
[Information automatically included from LibreOffice]
Correctly formatted right margin like all the other correctly formatted lines.
Locale: en-US
Module: TextDocument
[Information guessed from browser]
OS: Windows (All)
OS is 64bit: no
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