Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 40747
Two seperate commands both named Insert>Formula
Last modified: 2014-09-30 17:48:28 UTC
In the Tools>Customize...>Toolbars>Add.. dialog box, selecting "Insert" from the "Category" list yields two entries both called "Formula" in the "Commands" box. Only the different icons next to these commands reveal that one is to insert an OOo Math object, and the other is to open the Formula Bar. Under Tools>Customize...>Keyboard the situation is even worse, since no icons are dispalyed next to commands in the "Function" list, so there is absolutely nothing to distinguish these identically named commands! Before OOO2 becomes final, it will be necessary to rename one (or both) of these commands, in order to remove this ambiguity. (The command names WERE different in OOo1!)
Not reproducible in a more recent m72 build. No duplicate entries !
closed
I have checked this in the latest release (m74), and it certainly IS reproducible, just as I described, and not solved at all! PS - Will you PLEASE stop saying that an issue is "resolved in 1.9mX", when: * 1.9mX doesn't even exist yet * When 1.9mX finally is released, the issue hasn't changes one bit since it was reported. Dishonestly caliming that an issue is resolved does nothing to actually resolve the issue, and causes much frustartion to anyone with an interest in that issue!
(Aditi Gupta , Seema Gandhi , February 04, 2005 5:33 PM) We successfully replicated the bug on Windows 2000 SP4 in Open Office 1.9.71.1. The same steps were followed to reproduce the bug. Many entries in the Commands Box have a description; since both “Formula” entries have an ambiguity in their names it is confusing that Formula with the icon f(x) does not have a description.
Confirmed in 1.9.74. PS - ed2 I completely agree with you :)
Hi ed2, thanks for using and supporting OpenOffice.org... 1. One problem per issue please... In the following I refer to the "duplicate" names in that dialog... 2. Please don't shout at us... 3. Please don't call us "liars", thanks... The fact that you can't reach the version tm mentioned does not mean that this version doesn't exist! 4. hhmmm, you are right, ... - one of the entries is used for calculating something (e.g. in Writer) - the other entry is used to insert a formula and opens the formula editor. I agree that there should be a difference in the naming... reassigned to cj mci -> cj: Hi cj, please have a look at this issue, thanks IMHO this double used name is confusing. The description in the dialog shows the difference but maybe it is possible to fine a better name for one of the entries
cc'ed mci
Regarding Tools>Customize>Toolbars>Add OOo offers 1) tool tips 2) a discription 3) a different icon At the bottom line the user has a fare chance to distinguish the items. Regarding Tools>Customize>Keyboard I second this. The situation leaves just guessing to the user. This has to be chantged for OOoLater.
*** Issue 94704 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
Hi, I don't understand why it is so difficult to add "Math" or "Calc" to the label "Formula" as it points to Math equation editor or recalculable formula bar. Another solution is to rename Math Formula in Equation. From my point of view it is a defect to have the same name for two differents functions -> issue type changed to defect. Regards JBF
Because it is not simply a question of renaming a string from A to B. This is a general problem which needs a redesign of the dialog and the way we display functions names. -> Enhancement.
I checked using 3.0.0 under Linux and Win XP Pro. I can confirm that these duplicate entries exist, however they only occur when one is using Writer. I opened a new spreadsheet, only one entry for Formula under either dialog. However, with a Writer document open, the duplicate entries are there, as described by the reporter. They do not appear when using Draw or Impress either. It would appear that this is specific to Calc.
Sad to see this issue is not yet solved : this is an extremely bad user experience and pro Microsoft people are laughing. Why is it so difficult to add Math / Calc ? the fix is one liner, and the promised enhancement means "years" (if ever it occurs a day ... ) @es : "enhancement" means years, and we need an urgent fix. A good compromise is to temporarly fix that ( the fix is probably a one-liner !! ) and if you propose enhancement, nobody will cry. I'll blog about this issue.
@ericb: instead of blogging and that we infinitely discuss if this issue is an apple or a fruit (it's both!) and if this is a "1 liner": please submit a patch! @MBA: please help! - if we decide to fix only those two entries by renaming them (which may have consequences on the translation!), yes this is a defect, this is (I guess) easy to fix but this is not a solution because... - every application is affected by duplicate entries (see issue 99333) because the concept of this dialog is not optimal: tipps or function descriptions are missing, we have no way internally to check for duplicate strings and every new UI function is automatically added to this dialog without any review from anybody about the *context* of this dialog... Adding this info is an enhancement, needs UI changes, an I-Team and documentation on it. This last solution is my favorite because it's not a hack but a concept improvement. I volunteer to be part of the I-team! MBA, please your point of view.
@es: What is your interest in making a perfectly trivial issue sound so much more complicated that it really is? To state in simple terms: The problem: Two different commands are both named "insert formula". The solution: Change the name of one or both commands. That is all there is to it. Making this one simple change IS a solution to this problem, and IS a one-liner! Any other change is a separate issue, and should be dealt with as such.
@ed2: same answer as for ericb. If it's so easy, please submit a patch.
Is a patch really necessary to change the displayed name of a single command? What would a patch for such a trivial change contain anyway? All that is required is for someone who knows where the displayed names of these commands are stored in the source files to change one of them. What patch does anyone need to change one line of text? How would any patch help them do this anyway?
While es is completely right about the problems of this dialog (and so correctly pointed out that there is something to do) I don't see a problem in doing a simple fix for the duplicate "insert formula" entries. The next interesting question is: which name should be changed and how should it be? My suggestion: "Insert formula object" or "Insert Math object" as this function appears in the "Insert Object" menu of the application. The other function can keep its current name, I don't see a better one.
While there may be other issues (no one ever said this was the one and only issue ever to affect OOo), the point remains that THIS ISSUE is the duplicate "insert formula" commands. Any other design change is a SEPARATE ISSUE, and should be reported and processed as such. The obvious solution is to change the command for inserting an OOo Math object to "Insert Math Object". Indeed this is what the command was called in previous versions.
This is a framework issue and must be fixed in the "global commands". Carsten, please take over.
@mba Thank you for your answer, but I'm curious, and I'd like to 1) understand and 2) help to fix that. So I have a simple question: *where* are exactly located the relevant strings ? I'm searching since two days (lot of "Formule" and "Formula" in OOo code, I can modify a lot of menus, renaming the with funky names, to be sure it works, _but_ I was not able to modify these entries :-/ FYI I modified strings in localize.sdf, or .src (using a correct editor) in sfx2, svx, sw, sc, vcl and svtools, even in some .xml files). Once modified the source, I have rebuilt the matching .res and tested them afterward. Just the filename + relevant lines would be sufficient, and I think I can do the rest. This way, I could provide very fastly a Mac OS X build to my testers, as proof of concept. Last, if you need help for the cws (not sure, because this is localization stuff), you can count on me once I'll be back from holidays (starting 2nd of March), or before if made today ( but we'll have to be fast ). Thanks in advance :)
IIRC these strings are part of a "...commands.xcu" file, most probably the global commands.
Ok, thank you. If I can find some time, I'll give it a try this afternoon
@ericb: I asked CD who confirmed what I thought... The entries in the ICU file are used from *both* "Tools - Customize" and the Menu UI names. Thus, changing the string you see in the Customize dialog will also change the Menu UI name. Hint: for Math objects (the second entry) you may choose something like "Math object" or better "formula (Math object)" and NOT "Insert Math object" because the menu would then look like: Insert ->... Object*** -> OLE object Plugin Sound Video Insert Math object Chart Which is ugly... (*** Well currently called "Draw objects" which is another bug we have on track!) And while you're at it, you can also avoid a similar context translation error while submitting a correct translation also for French, don't you? ;) Nonetheless I'll file a meta task for the general problem and set this issue as blocking the meta task. :)
So the name should be "Math object". "Insert" should be the name of the group (and IIRC it is).
This issue does not depend on 99468. If anything 99464 DEPENDS ON THIS ISSUE, but certainly not the other way round.
So the string might be this one: officecfg registry\data\org\openoffice\Office\UI\WriterCommands.xcu 0 value ..WriterCommands.UserInterface.Commands..uno:InsertObjectStarMath Label 0 en-US ~Formula 2002-02-02 02:02:02
Issue 99468 is a meta issue. Issues related to the general problem described in issue 99468 will be marked as "depends on" in order to keep a track of them. So this is only an administrative measure and DOESN'T mean the "depending on" issues will be fixed after the the main one. They can be fixed before (MBA targeted 3.2 while the general task will certainly not be fixed for 3.2). Now please, you have contribute reporting this task, let the developers now fix, the QA folks verify and set administrative fields. The fix is on its way :)
What exactly does "depends on" mean on this site? I always assumed that the site was in English, and in English "This issue deopends on Issue 99468" means that it requires Issue 99468 to be solved before this one can be. That is not the case. One duplicate can perfectly well be resolved on its own without any requirement for all other duplicates to be resolved. It would, however, make sense to say that resolving all duplicates requires this one to be resolved. Hence the dependency between these two issues as it stands is the wrong way round.
*** Issue 54359 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
cd: We missed the OOo 3.2 release and I have to shift this issue to the next release.
In the OOo3.2.0 code, Formula above (which was a Calc one) and Formula under (which was a Math one) have been swapped. Now, the first Formula is Math and the second Formula is Calc. It was not a very good idea to permute them. Now we should rewrite all the documentation/howtos about this subject May be would it be possible to swap them again for the next version, it would avoid us to rewrite documentation. :-)
> In the OOo3.2.0 code, Formula above (which was a Calc one) > and Formula under (which was a Math one) have been swapped. > > It was not a very good idea to permute them. > Now we should rewrite all the documentation/howtos about this subject Better solution: different (and self-explaning) names for all "functions"
Pb Solved in OOo4Kids-0.9.5 (june 2010) by E. Bachard (education.openoffice.org Lead) both functions have now self-explaining names. interested people can have a look at its source code for backport.
cd: Too much issues for OOo 3.3 release. Have to move it to the next release. cd->diaz_frederic: Thanks for the pointer to OOo4Kids-0.9.5. I will try to back port your solution to OOo for 3.4. If you believe that this issue should be handled as a showstopper for OOo3.3 please nominate it accordingly in the releases mailing list.
I don't believe it's realy a showstopper because it is neither a severe bug nor a regression, and many others issues are more urgent. But if you can solve the problem for 3.4 it will be a good thing.
@cd : if this can help you, I can provide a patch, based on DEV300 (m83 or m84 if I'm not wrong), showing you the changes I did. This should show you the exact constant names I modified, and will avoid you to search the right string, and the rest will IMHO be a NLC affair.
@ericb : Hi Eric, please attach a patch for this issue and I will gladly integrate it into OOo.
@cd : the patch I'll attach is not the solution, because every NLC will have to translate the strings, but the missing information who will save you a lot of time.
Created attachment 71502 [details] Patch to help solving the issue, backported from OOo4Kids
set target to 3.x since not release relevant for 3.4 release.
*** Issue 84354 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
I think, the patch is not usable, because (1) "Calc Formula" gives confusion with the application Calc. (2) "Math Formula" and "Calc Formula" still use the same word "Formula". (3) .uno:InsertObjectStarMath is a common command, and in the meantime it is in GenericCommands.xcu (4) .sdf files are not manipulated directly, but by translation via Pootle.
*** Issue 123333 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
The attached patch is obsolete because of structural changes in the code.