Libreoffice

[cee-dee]

Anyone use Libreoffice? I've some documents saved on a flash drive and they're Word docs which were written on a laptop (Win 10). If I installed Libreoffice on a new desktop, can the docs from the flash drive be opened OK from the flash drive?

I don't fancy Office 365 for the amount of use I have for it.

[cee-dee]

Ah, I see there's Ctrl+f (find), Ctrl+h is "find and replace". 

In Word I've used both of those functions. I see there's plenty to learn?

F5 on this laptop is "Airplane mode" so perhaps that's why shift + F5 doesn't work in LOwriter?

[thesmokingrunner]

Save the file as an ODF Text Document - the file extension will be .odt

I actually have no idea why Shift+F5 didn't work for me at first but then worked 15 minutes later, but it did.  Keep trying...

Either you've gone page blind or we are looking at two completely different versions of LibreOffice. Ctrl+G is in the list of Shortcut Keys:

[cee-dee]

We must be looking at different versions. On the link you provided at #18, after Ctrl + H it goes to Ctrl+shift+P (superscript) and the next one is Ctrl + L. There's no Ctrl + G.

Very strange if your link goes to one version for you and when I click it I get something different? OR, was your screenshot from a different place, = somewhere in LOwriter??

[cee-dee]

Ah-ha, I see where you got that screenshot from. It was "Tools" > "Customise" wasn't it?

Yes, Ctrl + G is in that list. I wonder why it wasn't in the list you linked to?

I'd already thought of adding a unique word to where I'm leaving off and using the "Find > Replace" function whenI re-open that document. That'll do as a stop-gap. I hope I can get docs to open where I left off though.

[thesmokingrunner]

Yes, the screenshot was taken from Tools>Customize>Keyboard in an open .odt document.

I've just checked the list of shortcut keys on that list and Ctrl+G (Go to page) is there too so I really am puzzled as to why you're not seeing the same as I am, or indeed why the shortcuts aren't working for you.

My laptop has Win10 OS and I'm running LibreOffice 7.1; I've never had Microsoft 365 on here (never had it all in fact) so I must admit part of me is wondering if 365 overwrites some of the shortcut keys, though another part of me is thinking that shouldn't make a difference because shortcuts keys can be separately defined within software so 365 and LibreOffice could in theory be different.

Would you like to try this?: open a .odt document (any document) you have previously saved in LibreOffice Writer. Without editing anything open Tools>Customize>Keyboard. Check that Shift+F5 is defined as Restore Editing View and Ctrl+G is defined as Go to Page in the list of Shortcut Keys (they should be but you'll need to define them as such if they're not - let me know if you need a step-by-step guide to that). Press OK (centre button in the bottom right of the pane) then close (X) the document - you don't need to save it. Finally, re-open the same document and see if the two shortcuts work.

I've just done all the above (as I was writing this) and both shortcuts worked for me when I re-opened the document. The same shortcuts also work in a second .odt document which I've just looked at, so fingers crossed it'll work for you too, 'cos otherwise I'm running out of ideas...

[cee-dee]

Well now, I saved the doc in ODF (which I guess is Open Document Format?) then closed it. Re-opened LOwriter and I see I've now got two versions of the doc, the original in 365 (.docx)and the "new one" is in .odt.

I checked (twice) that Shift + F5 does now go to where I left off 🙂 Miracles never cease?

So, now I'll have to save all the docs as ODF and then delete all the "originals".

[thesmokingrunner]

Excellent news! And Ctrl+G displays the Go to Page pop-up I hope?

Yes - ODF is Open Document Format, and ODF files have a file extension of .odt

I mentioned in earlier posts that saving a document in LibreOffice with a .odt file extension does not delete the original document (because you're using Save As and changing the File type) and the fact that you now have two documents - one .odt and one .docx - demonstrates that. So in that respect yes, you need to open each .docx file then File>Save As, set Save as type: to ODF Text Document and Save at the bottom of the pane, after which you can manually delete the .docx file.

It can be a bit of a faff if you have a significant number of documents but you could always do them on an 'as necessary' basis - I still have quite a few documents that I've not converted yet, and I've been using this laptop for a year now.

I guess my work here is done. I'll keep the thread subscription open just in case, so if there are any other issues I'll hopefully see your post. Meantime, it's been a pleasure and I'm glad I was able to help. Got there in the end, eh? : )

[cee-dee]

Yes, that worked before.

Thank you very much for all your efforts, you've been very helpful. I think you're due a star on your collar, no, make it two 🙂

[cee-dee]

Shift + F5 certainly works now, it's much better than having nothing but Word either automatically opens where you left off or a flag appears on the right which you can click to go to where you left off.

I found the auto spellchecker had somehow disabled itself when I switched to ODF so I've re-enabled that but now I find a "wigglyBlue line" appearing when I stop typing. It disappears quite quickly though.

It's all interesting stuff but I guess I'll get used to it, better than having to cough up for 365 every year?

[thesmokingrunner]

Good to know Shift+F5 is sorted now.

As for the other things you mention - yes, there are small differences between Microsoft and LibreOffice. I wonder - how long did it take you to get to grips with Word when you first started using it? A couple of days? A couple of weeks? A month? Well there you go - it'll take a bit of time before you're as up to speed with Libre as you are with Microsoft.

I think you'll find that auto-spellchecker hadn't actually disabled itself when you switched to LO. It just wasn't enabled. It's different software and I'm pretty sure Win10 isn't able to identify which software is being run and automatically switch spellchecker from one to the other. The spellchecker you used to use was the Microsoft version; the one you are now using is the LibreOffice version.

Starting to use LibreOffice is exactly the same as starting to use MS Word - it's all new when you first load the software so you need to to learn the little ins and outs of how it works, maybe set your preferred shortcuts, document layouts, even tab sizes. Everything you did when you started using MS, and every little tweak you made over the years while you were using it, you need to do again because it's different software. Just because you have decided to switch software does not mean that the new software will automatically adopt all the setting of the old - if you want it to look and act the same you have to change the default settings yourself.

I think the thought of that alone puts a lot of people off, but I also think Microsoft rely on that so that people will stump up £80 a year (or whatever it is) just for the privilege of being able to access documents which used to be free. I've been using LibreOffice on-and-off for 7 years and exclusively for a year now and I honestly don't know why I left it so long.

[cee-dee]

I'm using Windows 11 with this new computer and would you believe it, they've got 365 and particularly Word in the list of programs, I guess, hoping you'll start a trial then stump up? I've downloaded LO but I've not transfered my docs yet. I've been fighting a battle with getting my printer to work so now that's up and running, I'll pluck up courage to set to with sorting out the docs.

I don't remember having much trouble when I started using Word because I'd been using MS Works before.

As to the spell checker, I'm wondering if I'll have to add my "peculiar" words again on this new set-up? By peculiar, I mean a word that's not in the LO dictionary, for example an odd surname.

As a matter of interest, which version of Windows are you using at present?

[cee-dee]

I've now got all the documents on this computer. I used a different (new) flash drive from the one to which I saved my Word documents (and when I started using LO writer) to transfer them to this computer.

[thesmokingrunner]

As mentioned previously the dictionaries on Word and LibreOffice are different - it is not a single dictionary which is used by both - so yes, you will need to add any words you had previously added to the Word dictionary to the LO dictionary.

I mentioned in Post 25 that I'm running LibreOffice 7.1 on Win10. When I first set this computer up it had the option to subscribe to 365 (I think all Windows OS give that option) but I didn't, I just loaded LO and have used it exclusively ever since.

[cee-dee]

I thought I was there..... but now I've just gone to open a doc and it comes up with D./........odt does not exist..... "D" was the flash drive.... so, what have I done wrong now?

[cee-dee]

I suppose you'll laugh, but I tried copying a doc opened with the flash drive inserted, then saving it with a new file name and that opens OK in LO writer without the flash drive inserted.  I'm off for tea now 🙂

[thesmokingrunner]

Not really to sure what to say, cee-dee, but pleased to know you sorted it.

When I transferred all my files from my old computer to this one I initially set up the new computer (Windows 10) then loaded all the software I required, including LibreOffice 7.1 I then copied the entire directory on the old computer to a flash drive and then copied that to the Documents folder on the new computer. That created a sub-folder (also titled Documents, the name of the folder on the old computer), although I have since moved all the files to the parent Document folder. You could always transfer files individually but it takes a little longer.

I then set the default Apps (Settings>Apps>Default Apps then 'Choose default apps by file type') for Microsoft Word documents (.doc, .docx and .docm but there are a few others) to open in LibreOffice Writer and once that was done I opened the 'old' doc files on the new computer and saved them (using File>Save as type) as ODF Text Document, which created an exact copy of the .doc file with a .odt extension. Finally, I deleted the old .doc file.

Yes it's a bit of faff - setting up a new computer always is, and changing from a document editor with which you're familiar to one with which you're not as familiar can be a little frustrating to say the least. Baby steps - you'll get there. Keep going.

[cee-dee]

Right, I've got all in LO writer but when I open LO writer, there's the stack of docs but also the ones that it says do not exist. How do I get rid of those? Trying to highlight them to simply delete them doesn't work, it keeps coming up with that it doesn't exist. In file explorer, there's only the "proper LOw files.

As an extra bit of interest..... one doc which WAS double spaced came out with single spacing so I've sorted the spacing out (Ctrl + A then going to paragraph and then spacing) back to how it should be. Very strange that only one doc did that? The file on the flash drive was spaced properly????

BTW, I tried deleting the files from the flash drive but the ones that it says doesn't exist are still there.

[thesmokingrunner]

I honestly have absolutely no idea what you've done there and consequently I have no solution.

There is only so much I can do and I can only go on the information given, so "...the stack of docs but also the ones that do not exist" might mean something to you but it means nothing to me. How do you get rid of those? How do you get rid of something that doesn't exist? Hmm...

Transferring Word documents to LibreOffice really, really isn't that difficult, or at least it shouldn't be, so I genuinely have no idea how you've managed to get yourself into such a situation. If it was me I'd do a factory restore on the computer, start again and then either use the Help pages on LibreOffice or search Google for help with whatever you're trying do (file transfer, opening word documents using LibreOffice and so on). You'll find far more help - and answers - on LibreOffice Help pages and user groups than you will on this board.

[cee-dee]

Oi, stop that laffin' 🙂 

On the LOw opening page, I had two versions of each document. Remember, when I transferred them to this computer, they were on the flash drive. When the flash drive was plugged in (USB) each doc opened OK. Then I copied them and pasted them in to a new document. Those would all open OK without the flash drive plugged in. Unplugging the FD meant my copied docs opened OK but the version that'd been on the FD showed up as "does not exist" if I tried clicking them.

Each doc has an "icon" (??) which you click to open them, doing that with the ones that'd been on the FD come up with that message and also, they can't be deleted. You can't highlight them or anything.

If they're there for good, I'll just open all the "good" docs so all the "bad" icons are shoved down/off the opening page and all the OK docs are at the top.

I've an idea to copy each doc from my laptop to the FD again, load it on this one again, when I save it again, it'll say that file already exists, do I want to replace it. I'll click "yes". When it's loaded, I can delete it all and that should take the icon off the LOw opening page?? I'll try it anyway?

[cee-dee]

I've removed all the doc "icons" that showed up as "Does not exist". To re-cap, those were all from the flash drive and as soon as the FD was removed, each doc showed up as "Does not exist". Well it wouldn't when the FD was removed?

As you remember (?) I copied (Ctrl + A then Ctrl + C) all the docs while the FD was in place and pasted (Ctrl +V) in to a new document and gave them a new file name.

On opening LOw with the FD removed, the originals appeared to be there, but (now don't laugh) all I had to do to remove them was to hover over the "X" so it showed up in Red and just click it.

Now all I've got is rows of the "proper" docs which all open OK when clicked.