Re: [libreoffice-users] Calc will not save file after sheet deleted.

On 10/08/11 13:07, Steve Edmonds wrote:
> Hi.
>
> On 2011-08-10 14:00, Simon Cropper wrote:
> > On 10/08/11 10:22, Bill Gradwohl wrote:
> > > On 08/09/2011 05:46 PM, Simon Cropper wrote:
> > > > *Has anyone encountered or heard of a similar problem?*
> > > >
> > > > *Anyone got some ideas?*
> > > Check out the bug I just created at
> > >      https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=39930
> > >
> > > I've been fighting this corruption issue for YEARS and can't get anyone
> > > to look at it seriously.  They keep coming out with new releases, but
> > > none of them ever solve these corruption problems.
> > >
> > > When LO saves a file and then can't reopen it successfully, it is LO's
> > > problem regardless of what an end user might have done.
> > >
> > > They keep putting a new coat of paint on a rusty chassis and are
> > > shocked, shocked when someone points out the rot.
> > >
> > > --
> > > Bill Gradwohl
> > > Roatan, Honduras
> >
> > Hi Bill,
> >
> > I was aware of your issue but don't believe we are talking about the
> > same problem. My symptoms are quite different. I am not sure at
> > present whether the problem is a corrupt file or wonky OO/LO code.
> I may be wrong, but I have always thought that a "Save As" saves in a
> newly created file formatted from scratch. If a file that has been
> "Saved As" still exhibits the problem I would think that 1. if the file
> is corrupted LO is corrupting it and has a bug or 2. if the file is not
> corrupted (you could delete a sheet in say OOO?) then the bug is in LO.
> Either way LO has a bug.
>
> steve

Steve,

1. I am not sure about 'Save as' myself. My testing though suggests it 
only converts or resets the internal file structure on conversion to 
another format. ODS to ODS does not appear to rewrite the internal 
structure.

2. the files created with 'Save as' does exhibit the problem. This 
indicates the problem is file specific and able to be transmitted to 
derivatives.

3. The problem can not be recreated in a freshly created ODS file, so in 
essence you could argue it is not a bug.

4. My gut feeling is the file structure is somehow corrupted. Nothing 
that would affect normal operation but shows up when conducting 
broadscale sheet manipulations. How this change has come about is unclear.

OK, to prove a point, I stripped everything out of a copy of the file 
except the tabs and underlying structure. I opened each tab, deleted the 
text and cleared the font / background / linework formatting using the 
toolbar options. Removed the freeze panes and an object (images or 
textboxes) from the sheet. Saved. Tried to delete a sheet and behold, 
wouldn't you guess it, the file saved OK.

This is a Seinfield moment I am currently holding my head in my hands 
repeating "serenity now! serenity now!"

OK. OK. This indicates that something has been added to the file in 
recent months that is causing the problem -- an image, some imported 
text... hmmmm......

Really the only input to this file is text/numbers entered via the 
keyboard or the importation of text/numbers via CSV downloaded from a 
bank account. I stripped these but it made no change.

 *The short version*

To cut a long process short I deleted a sheet then proceeded to clear 
the contents of other sheets progressively *until* I was able to save. 
This identified the sheet.

I then repeated this process until I identified a single cell. In fact 
it was a 'duplicate cell'. This cell has an associated picklist -- that 
is cell range with a variety of legitimate values. It also has a comment 
inserted. This comment is simply an explanation and reminder to do 
something. *Delete the comment* and the sheet saves as expected; undo 
the change and the error appears. I say 'duplicate' because I copied and 
paste this block to another location on the same sheet as a 'fixed' copy 
(as the original has VLOOKUPs that change based on picklist value) but 
neglected to omit the comments so they were duplicated.

 *Some additional testing*

1. Going back to some 'uncorrupted' files from 2009 I am unable to 
reproduce the error.

2. If I create a new file I can not reproduce the error.

3. It is necessary to delete both the original and copy of the comment 
in question. Deleting one or the other makes no difference, both must be 
deleted. inspection of the contents.xml in the archive only shows one 
comment (I have no idea if this is normal; I presume a reference to the 
'comment' object was cmpies not the object).

4. Once the offending comment-pair are deleted then the file works as 
expected.

5. If you reinsert a comment in the sheet -- after saving, closing and 
reopening the 'corrupted' file, you get an error again.

6. If you insert a comment in other sheet. In most the save works but 
for a couple it does not. I can not find any visible similarity in the 
data, format or objects on these pages (the error is triggered on 
certain sheets only).

7. If you create a new sheet, copy the text/numbers/format//formulas to 
the new sheet and delete the offending 'corrupt sheet'. Deleting another 
sheet does not trigger the error. If you insert a comment however in the 
new sheet the error appears again.

8. If I create a new sheet and do nothing except insert a comment the 
error occurs.

 *The upshot*

Unless someone recognised these symptoms and can put forward some ideas, 
I am treating this as a corrupt file. I have drawn this conclusion 
because (a) I can only reproduce the error on the effected file, (b) the 
comment insert/delete trick is suggestive but not consistent (or at 
least from what I can tell) - random sheets cause the file save error if 
comments are inserted; inserting comments into new sheets also trigger 
the error.

I just hope that recreating this file does not corrupt the new file as I 
will need to copy blocks of text, numbers and formulas.

--
Cheers Simon

   Simon Cropper
   Principal Consultant
   Botanicus Australia Pty Ltd
   PO Box 160, Sunshine, VIC
   W: www.botanicusaustralia.com.au

--
For unsubscribe instructions e-mail to: users+help@global.libreoffice.org
Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/
Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/
All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted