https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=141925

--- Comment #6 from ajlittoz <[email protected]> ---
Created attachment 190036
  --> https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/attachment.cgi?id=190036&action=edit
Legitimate use of empty headings

I disagree with the decision NOTABUG.

The "compatibility feature" was probably motivated by the frequency of such
empty Heading_n paragraphs in Word-originating documents. The majority of
document-processing applications (Word, Writer, …) use them as basic
typewriters. Word, which has poorer styling features, is more prone to produce
empty heading paragraphs when users hit Enter to create vertical space. In
Writer, pressing Enter after a Heading_n-styled paragraph switches to
Text_Body. Therefore, empty headings are less frequent in Writer-created
documents.

The feature was then conceived as an automatic correction attempt for an
erroneous use of the applications.

Unfortunately, this approach is wrong. Empty headings can legitimately be used.
I show this in LOBugEmptyHeading.odt attachment. It is a skeleton novel.
Chapter numbering is used to automatically create chapter headings in the form
"Chapter nn". I'd expect these headings to be collected in the TOC. They aren't
because of the "feature".

In addition, if one of the chapters has an explicit title, we get a serious
discrepancy in the TOC where only the explicit heading is reported; all empty
(implicit) headings are missing.

Note also that
(In reply to Justin L from comment #3)
> […] Rarely are empty numberings deployed.  (In
> fact, pressing "Enter" after one of these REMOVES it.)
is wrong. Contrary to list items, empty headings are perfectly accepted by
Writer.

I strongly advocate to reconsider the question.

Eventually, add a compatibility check box to continue "fixing" DOC(X) documents
but respect author choice of using the auto-numbering feature for their empty
headings. I don't consider adding a space to make the heading as non-empty a
valid workaround because AutoCorrect can delete them (and this setting may be
useful elsewhere than on headings).

(BTW, AutoCorrect Remove_empty_paragraphs does not seem to have any effect,
even after forcing Tools>Update>Update All)

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