Re: [libreoffice-users] Re: Fixing 5.0 appearance

On Sat, 23 Dec 2017 07:08:20 -0700 (MST)
V Stuart Foote <VStuart.Foote@utsa.edu> dijo:

> Dave Barton-3 wrote
> > On 22.12.2017 03:07, Virgil Arrington wrote:
> > ...
> > Even better if the day ever comes when we can have styles list
> > undocked from the sidebar, in the same way as Navigator.
>
> That is  tdf#85905
> <https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=85905>   /Allow
> undocking of Sidebar decks/, which would allow each of type of Sidebar
> deck to be detached and handled in its own frame (docked or undocked).
>
> Meanwhile, check out the "new" View -> Toolbars -> Formatting (Styles)
> toolbar as a "styles" focused alternative to the default Formatting
> toolbar.

Thanks to all for the comments. 

This saga started for me because an Xubuntu update installed Firefox
57, which broke the Zotero add-ons. After several hours of struggling
I finally discovered that the only solution was to install the new
standalone Zotero; which works well except it is not as convenient as
having the Zotero add-on in Firefox. However, while the standalone
Zoter works for adding an entry in my database with Firefox, the Zotero
toolbar in Writer still did not work. More hours of struggling later I
discovered that I needed a new LO extension for Zotero. But the new
extension wouldn't install because it required LO 5.0 or later. After
even more struggling I decided that the only solution was to add a PPA
to my repository list in my Xubuntu 14.04, and then install LO 5.4. But
LO 5.4 severely messed up my user interface, and now I am trying to get
things back to the way I want them. I hope to high heaven that I am
close to the end of this trial.

I should add that I only use Writer and Impress, and I use Impress only
for opening .ppt files provided to me by others. My use of Calc, Base
and Draw is rare. I do use tables a lot in my writing, but I do so only
in Writer. Because my work in LO is writing text documents I want as
much vertical screen area as possible, so I want no toolbars at the top
of the document window. Instead, because the area to the left and right
of my widescreen monitor is unused, I like my toolbars floating out
there. And the toolbars that I need are just Formatting (which I have
heavily customized) and Styles; and Zotero only when the document will
need citations. I need other functions less frequently so the top menu
(File Edit View ...) is adequate for me.

At this point I should also add that there has long been a bug with
floating toolbars on all Linux installations that I know of - that is,
if you have a toolbar floating it defeats the normal focus actions of
the Linux X-windows GUI. An example would make this more clear. Let us
suppose that I have only one Writer document window open on the screen.
While working on it I discover that I need to use another program, e.g.,
Firefox, so I switch to a Firefox window, leaving the Writer document
on the screen. The Firefox window will come up on top of the Writer
document, as it should, but when I later minimize the Firefox window I
see the Writer document is now completely visible again, but focus has
not been restored to it. And that means that clicking on its icon in the
Xfce panel will not minimize it until I click on the window to restore
its focus. Also, when I later restore a Writer document window quite
often the floating formatting toolbar fails to appear. I can go into
View > Toolbars and I see that it is still checked, but to get it back I
have to un-check it, then re-check it. And when I restore a document to
the screen by clicking on it in the Xfce panel it comes up on the
screen, but again without focus. I wish there was a hotkey to open the
Formatting toolbar, like F11 for the Styles toolbar, but I can't find
one. I tried to create one, but I failed.

I have lived with this bug since forever, with all versions on OO and
now LO. I was hoping that this would have finally been fixed in the new
LO 5.4, but it remains unchanged. And a few years ago I asked on one of
these lists and after much discussion I tracked the problem down to my
floating toolbars, that is, if none of my floating toolbars are on the
screen the document window takes focus as it should, like all other
application windows. Also, the problem is specific to each individual
document window, e.g., as I write this I have three Writer documents
open, I closed the floating toolbars on one of them and that window then
took focus properly, but I left the toolbars on the other two
documents and they still did not take focus properly.

I read the bug report in the link provided by Dave Barton above. It was
interesting, but provided no solution. However, having read it I
concluded that perhaps future development will provide a fix so I can
get rid of the sidebar. For now I conclude that I am just stuck with it.

I also checked out the new Styles (Formatting) toolbar, but it does not
replace the real styles toolbar - no buttons to change from paragraph
styles to text styles, etc. I also tried creating my own custom toolbar
but, again, I was unable to switch the view from one type of style to
another, e.g., paragraph to text, etc.

Thanks again to all who have offered comments and suggestions.

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