openoffice compiz bug - Wizards' first dialogs far too small (unusable)

Manual error.

Open OpenOffice.org Writer, then choose "File -> Wizards -> Document Converter" or "File -> Wizards -> Euro Converter" - dialog window is too small to continue.

Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy)
OpenOffice.org 2.3 (openoffice.org-core 1:2.3.0-1ubuntu5.3)

just wanted to say that I ran into the same problem... didn't realize it was just from using compiz so luckily it wasn't a showstopper :-p

The same problem.

I also have Compiz Enabled.

They can't be serious about waiting for OpenOffice 3 to fix this problem even if it is plain simple to circumvent by temporarily disabling Compiz. I found this problem in the RC, and it's still not fixed for prime time.

OO.o 3.0 is to be released before Ubuntu 8.10, so anyway you'll get this fix in 6 months. I know this is a little ridiculous for a so trivial change...

This bug was blocking me from installing any dictionaries.

I found a workaround: Disable visual effects
(that is: change from "Extra" or "Normal" to "None" in Ubuntu System | Settings | Appearance | Visual Effect tab)

Thanks, but we already knew this for 6 months! ;-)

Fine that you alreaty know this.
But its NOT fine that its not mentioned, together with the workaround, in the release notes of Hardy:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/804

Mentioning the bug and the simple workaround would have saved me half a day of fiddling and it will save loads of time for other serious OpenOffice users on Hardy.
So please :-)

I think this bug is not worth a mention in the critical bugs/new features, and with a little search in Launchpad you can find this report saying in the second paragraph: "This only occurs using compiz, with metacity there's no problem.". Sadly, we have too much minor bugs to mention them all!

Milan: I disagree with you to dismiss it all on that "with a little search in Launchpad you can find this" etc.
As I wrote before I used 1/2 day fiddling to figure out the problem. And I have used Linux for the last 15 years.
Several new desktop users of Linux I know (for which 'Launchpad', 'compiz', 'metacity' are words they have never heard before) have just given up (had to switch to Windows) because serious Office users just NEEDS dictionaries and this bug is blocking them installing dicts for doing their work on Linux.
So, if Ubuntu is serious about being an alternative to Windows for office use I think this bug must be taken a bit more serious.
I have added info to http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Dictionaries so at least the workaround is shown in one of the first 10 pages that google 'Ubuntu OpenOffice install dictionaries' will give .

I highly agree with what Jacob Nordfalk sais. I too have been using linux systems for the last 7 years of which 3 with Ubuntu. Although it's been going forward, getting better and better with every release, it's a shame that these kinds of bug get into an official release with no temporary fix through the updater.

I agree this bug should really have been for a long time, but we cannot tell this in the release notes, else there would be many more bugs that are more important. Users that don't know what Compiz is will never remember the release notes when they try to install dictionaries, and will not get the workaround anyway. No need to start a flame war about that, go and explain this is a shame upstream - I'm not a OO.o developer.

Jacob, in the point you raised, the problem is mainly that users should never have to install dictionaries - they should be installed by default, or using the Language Support tool (and normally this is the case); Fedora handles this that way, and we do the same. Sure, the bug would still affect them with other wizards.

I can confirm this, and I want to add; this bug will also hinder the user from using dialogs belonging to extensions for OpenOffice.org. Try «Bookmarks Menu»(http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/bookmarksmenu), with Compiz on the dialog will get small and you cant change it.

Many users will not understand/learn why they get so small dialogs. For many OpenOffice is the most important application, and this can bee a showstopper.

I have had the same problem. The only way in install dictionaries on Open Office is by deactivating Visual effects.

A comment reported that the fix will be in OOo 3.0. I am running 3.0 and this bug is still present just as reported here.

Duncan Lithgow : Thanks for your comment. Can you forward your comment and include the exact version number your installed openoffice to the upstream bug report :

http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=86302

OpenOffice developers might be interested to know that it is still not fixed. Also, you might want to stay updated with the latest 3.0 beta versions of Ooo because you might use a version which does not contain the fix yet.

Please tell upstream at http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=86302

I've passed my comment upstream, lucky I had an account over there.

I'm using oo 2.4.1 and i have found a workaround disabling the "window decoration" plugin in the "advanced desktop effect settings". you will temporarily lose the title bar and the close/minimize/resize buttons until you activate it again... or you can leave it disabled and bring the window menu using [alt + right click]

actually you can completely solve this "bug" configuring the "window decoration" plugin with exceptions. in the "advanced desktop effect settings" open the "window decoration" plugin config and edit the "decoration windows" field editing it from "any" to "(any) & !(type=Dialog).

if done correctly you will be able to use the openoffice wizards with the visual effects on.

to enable access to the advanced desktop effect settings you have to install the CCSM package (compizconfig-settings-manager). after you install you will find it in system > preferences.

screenshot of the config page attached.

Alberto, first thank you very much for reporting on your find. This is
very helpful for those of us who have do deal with this problem.

On Sun, 2008-10-05 at 22:41 +0000, AlberTUX wrote:
> actually you can completely solve this "bug" configuring the "window
> decoration" plugin with exceptions.

I respectfully disagree. You are providing a *workaround*, not a
*solution* to bug, which is a *real* bug, by the way and not a "bug" in
quotes. A proper solution would allow decorations to appear on all
windows which should have decorations (and this includes dialog boxes in
Open Office).

> in the "advanced desktop effect
> settings" open the "window decoration" plugin config and edit the
> "decoration windows" field editing it from "any" to "(any) &
> !(type=Dialog).

What you suggests turns off decoration on all dialog boxes in all
applications. Here is a better value for this field:

(any) & !(widget=1) & !(type=Dialog & class=OpenOffice.org 2.4)

What I suggest turns off decorations on widgets (which probably does not
matter to those who do not use the widget layer) and on dialog boxes but
only dialog boxes which belong to OpenOffice 2.4. The class= match
could be turned into a regular expression to mach more versions than
2.4. Also, I think the initial "(any) &", for instance, is not needed
but I'm no compiz wizard.

Maybe someone can come up with something even better than my suggestion
because right now it matches too many dialog boxes. Only the boxes
which are created by OO through a Java VM should be targeted by the
workaround. (Perhaps with the help of devilspie something can be cooked
up?)

Ciao,
Louis

If you are experiencing trouble with the wizards in OOo2.4 you might want to try and install OOo3.0 beta. I find it a great improvement, and the wizard has been removed in favour of an extension manager under 'Tools'. Instructions for installing 3.0beta on Ubuntu are here: http://tombuntu.com/index.php/2008/05/08/test-drive-openoffice-3-beta-in-ubuntu/

The "fix" in the compiz decorator configuration should be enabled in hardy?

This is a bug in compiz, why is it marked invalid?

Yes, the workaround is for hardy [8.04].

On Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 8:47 AM, Vincenzo Ciancia <email address hidden>wrote:

> The "fix" in the compiz decorator configuration should be enabled in
> hardy?
>
> --
> [upstream] [hardy] openoffice compiz bug - Wizards' first dialogs far too
> small (unusable)
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/149586
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Compiz: Invalid
> Status in The OpenOffice.org Suite: Fix Released
> Status in "compiz" source package in Ubuntu: New
> Status in "openoffice.org" source package in Ubuntu: Triaged
> Status in "compiz" source package in Baltix: Invalid
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: openoffice.org
>
> With OO.o 2.2.0-1ubuntu5, the Documents conversion wizard and the
> Euro-converter wizard (File -> Wizards) prompt terribly small dialogs, thus
> unusable. *Those windows can't be resized manually.* Maybe other wizards are
> affected.
>
> This only occurs using compiz (1:0.6.0+git20071004-0ubuntu1), with metacity
> there's no problem.
>

--
Alberto Sierra Reales [aesetres]
IT Consultant
Cel. 8319-1805

The bug is in OpenOffice, strictly speaking. But the workaround can be in compiz, so confirming the task.

Is it? as louis pointed out before, A proper solution would allow
decorations to appear on all
windows which should have decorations (and this includes dialog boxes in
Open Office). I have found that this problem also occurs for some dialog
boxes on firefox 3 as well, so i do not think it's an OO bug but compiz, and
the workaround is for compiz, not for openoffice.

On Sat, Oct 18, 2008 at 10:16 AM, Milan <email address hidden> wrote:

> The bug is in OpenOffice, strictly speaking. But the workaround can be
> in compiz, so confirming the task.
>
> ** Changed in: compiz (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Confirmed
>
> --
> [upstream] [hardy] openoffice compiz bug - Wizards' first dialogs far too
> small (unusable)
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/149586
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Compiz: Invalid
> Status in The OpenOffice.org Suite: Fix Released
> Status in "compiz" source package in Ubuntu: Confirmed
> Status in "openoffice.org" source package in Ubuntu: Triaged
> Status in "compiz" source package in Baltix: Invalid
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: openoffice.org
>
> With OO.o 2.2.0-1ubuntu5, the Documents conversion wizard and the
> Euro-converter wizard (File -> Wizards) prompt terribly small dialogs, thus
> unusable. *Those windows can't be resized manually.* Maybe other wizards are
> affected.
>
> This only occurs using compiz (1:0.6.0+git20071004-0ubuntu1), with metacity
> there's no problem.
>

--
Alberto Sierra Reales [aesetres]
IT Consultant
Cel. 8319-1805

ALbertTUX: See upstream bug reports for compiz and OO.o. They all say the fault is OpenOffice. If you've found similar issues with Firefox, please report them, people will see what's the problem.

It is an OpenOffice bug which is triggered by using compiz.

I've installed OpenOffice 3 on Hardy and cannot reproduce the bug.

Also, I've never seen this specific bug with any other software than OpenOffice. Compiz does seem to cause various softwares to misbehave but I've experienced this specific bug only with OpenOffice.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gtk+2.0/+bug/75324

The same problem here. Use Window Place and Window Rule plugin to workaround.

same problem--wizard window too small to be used. I don't know what 'compiz' is. appreciate any help. RW

rick: Compiz is the program that enables desktop effects when managing windows. See the updated description of the bug for a workaround.

This bug is fixed in jaunty because this wizard does not exist anymore in Ooo 3.0. Can a compiz bug triager verify if it's necessary to keep this bug open for compiz? It might not be necessary anymore.

I close it. I has never been coming from a bug in Compiz. OO.o developers have acknowledged from the beginning it was in their code.

my thanks to all--the workaround works fine, in hardy with OO 2.4. Rick