https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=171092
Bug ID: 171092
Summary: LibreOffice Writer damages documents when editing with
changes tracked
Product: LibreOffice
Version: 25.8.4.2 release
Hardware: ARM
OS: macOS (All)
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: medium
Component: Writer
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
Description:
This issue has plagued Writer for years. Many documents become damaged when
changes are made with tracking. The problems do not appear until the file is
closed – that is, the tracking looks correct while the file is open and being
edited. But after re-opening the saved file, huge amounts of text is deleted.
The pattern, as far as I can tell, is that when a change is made within a
paragraph that involves a deletion and replacement (ie, insertion) of new text,
that Writer sometimes does several things:
1) it permanently deletes the original text (that was deleted/replaced), so
that it does not show up in the tracking.
2) it retains the changed text, but displays it as deleted text.
3) after the first deletion+replacement in a paragraph, it marks the rest of
the original text in the paragraph as deleted – even though that text had no
changes applied to it.
As a result, the original text is no longer shown, and instead of replacements
one instead sees ones additions as if they are older, deleted text. A lot of
text can be deleted as a result.
The file format where this happens is at least DOCX, but I believe it impacts
some other formats (ODT does not seem to help). The file size balloons after
saving, sometimes tripling, although I cannot say whether that is related to
the deletions. Perhaps it is system specific. I have been running LibreOffice
on MacOS for many years, with Apple Silicon processors. Perhaps it has to do
with the origin of the file. Many documents that I am working with are shared
by colleagues, and most were initially created with Microsoft Word.
I have marked this bug critical, since it not only makes a core function of
Writer (tracking changes to texts) useless, but it also damages the documents
in a way that is hidden from the user until after they save and close the file
– thereby losing a chance to recover the lost text. It is also the kind of bug
that one would expect to have fixed in Alpha-version software, so I am baffled
over why it has not been reported and addressed many years ago.
Although I am not sure when it first appeared, the bug has been present for at
least 5 years. I have been forced to go back to Microsoft Word despite
preferring LibreOffice writer for any collaborative documents.
I have attached a sample document that shows what these deletions look like.
Steps to Reproduce:
1.With changes tracked, delete and replace some text in a paragaph
2.Save file and close it.
3.Reopen it, and the file will be damaged as described above.
Actual Results:
Much desired text is deleted from the document due to a bug in tracking
changes.
Expected Results:
The document is saved correctly, including correct tracking of the changes.
Reproducible: Always
User Profile Reset: No
Additional Info:
Please contact me so I can submit files that reflect the damage caused by this
bug.
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