Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 82782
Huge problem with apostrophe input with foreign language packs (german) already installed
Last modified: 2009-07-21 14:11:07 UTC
I have come upon a huge problem with inputting apostrophes, i.e. U+0027 ("straight apostrophe"), which should automatically change to U+2019 ("the right single quotation mark") using the autocorrect feature in OpenOffice's Writer. I have the German language pack installed, and the manner in which the autocorrect funtion works is that it corrects all inputted straight apostrophes to the German single quotation mark (specifically, U+201B, the "single high-reversed-9 quotation mark"), which is not the apostrophe that is used in possessives or contractions. When I want to write "the boy's car," the autocorrect doesn't see that I am trying to use the possessive, and instead switches to what it thinks is the German version of the single curly quotation mark. The problem carries over to English text input as well without having the German switched on. I have solved this problem temporarily by adding a macro to the toolbar to insert the right single quotation mark, but that is very cumbersome. This is definitely a detriment to the program as a whole, as the most basic text input functions are, as a result, hindered.
Oh, I made a small mistake here. When I said that the apostrophes were automatically autocorrected to the "single high-reversed-9" quotation marks, I was wrong. The apostrophes are automatically changed to the "left single quotation mark," i.e. U+2018. What should happen is that in texts in which the language is predominantly German is that the punctuation should follow the German punctuation rules. But when there is quoted text in another language, which can be specified over the character and font menu dialog, the quoted text inside the quotations should follow the German punctuation rules but allow English apostrophes to be inserted, and then autocorrected to the curly right single quotation marks. This can probably be accomplished by writing code that looks to see if there is already another single quotation directly at the beginning of a word, and if not, then change the apostrophe not to an open quote, but a curly apostrophe mark. Try it for yourself. Install the German language pack, and then try to make an apostrophe somewhere. Totally impossible, they are all changed to open quotes.
No bug. I just had to switch to "default" in the custom quotes section and it selects the quotes automatically based on the language you are using. The German language pack should be changed so that the specific characters are not given but default to the language used.
Reassigned to SBA.
There are principle problems with auto correct quotes and apostrophes. OOo cannot distinguish apostrophe and single quote --> issue 5839 The user defined character for auto correct straight ones cannot be set depending on the language --> issue 22271. I think, you problems are comprised by that issues.
There is just an error in how the German language pack sets up the autocorrect after it is installed. There is a workaround I found by going to Tools>Autocorrect>Custom Quotes and clicking on the default button for both the single and double quotes. Of couse, you will have to set the default language for this to work, but this is by no means something to be changed in future versions. It allows one maximum flexibility with languages. I am using the latest developer snapshot, as of yesterday, so I don't know if this workaround works with the earlier versions. Regina is correct saying that these problems are related to issue 5839 and issue 22271. The problem is as good as solved for me with the above workaround. But let's see what othe users say.
The OpenOffice program works perfectly now. I think some of the developers think that the ingle high-reversed-9 quotation mark is the one that should be used to close the "inverted commas," they are wrong though, basing their assumptions on Microsoft Word's faulty handling of the quotations. Oh, Microsoft, are you spreading disinformation again!? IN FUTURE EDITIONS OF THE LANGUAGE PACK please leave the autocorrect corrections default instead of changing them to match the German quotations. These are just wrong.
I'm setting this issue as duplicate of 22271 as the workaround works for joeyk. Sophie *** This issue has been marked as a duplicate of 22271 ***
Closing - Sophie