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[Launchpad Bug Tracker <915059@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

You have been subscribed to a public bug by Leo H (leo-h-hildebrandt):

(CONCERNS: LibreOffice version: 3.4.4; OOO340m1 (Build:402), complete
install from the Ubuntu repo, fully up to date.)


The "Compare Document" functionality of LibreOffice Writer is deeply flawed and woefully inadequate. For example, type (without quotes):

"LibreOffice Writer. Compare Document."

Save as version1.odt.  Then just add one space at the start and add one
paragraph marker after the first period (.), as follows (again without
the quotes):

" LibreOffice Writer.
 Compare Document."

Save as version2.odt. Now use "Compare Document" to identify the changes
in version2.odt relative to version1.odt:

As the result we are simply presented with the full text of version1.odt
mixed into that of version2.odt.  So we have THE WHOLE TEXT TWICE.
Worse, EVERYTHING is MARKED AS CHANGED, either as inserted or as
deleted. THIS IS PLAINLY WRONG. But, on the other hand, the TRUE CHANGES
are NOT UNIQUELY IDENTIFIED.

Now think of editing and then comparing not a single page with just 4
words, but a 40-page report or a 400-page book:  The result is simply a
catastrophe with entire multi-coloured swathes of repeated identical or
near-identical text, but all identified and marked by LibreOffice Writer
as completely different.

Moreover, all text in footnotes, endnotes, fields, headers, footers,
frames, etc, and all non-text objects are currently still completely
ignored by design in LibreOffice Writer "Document Compare".

CONCLUSION: "Compare Document" in LibreOffice Writer at the moment is
defective, completely clueless and completely useless.

However, in the real-world of professional document production and
editing, especially in collaborative contexts, precise, complete and
fine-grained change identification, revision management and version
control is absolutely essential.

The unambiguous identification of THE DIFFERENCES, ALL DIFFERENCES and
NOTHING BUT THE DIFFERENCES, and presented with the greatest clarity,
are pivotal here.

Sadly, at present, Microsoft Office Word still remains the only real
choice for competent change tracking between versions of a document.

Prior to LibreOffice, this issue has already dogged OpenOffice all its
life. A detailed current overview of relevant unresolved bugs and issues
is available at http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Track_changes .

Can the resolution of this issue please be made an urgent priority in
Ubuntu's LibreOffice.


(Acknowledgement: Elements of this submission were inspired by Gretha on Launchpad.)

** Affects: libreoffice (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New


** Tags: compare document libreoffice writer
-- 
Compare Document Functionality in LibreOffice Writer
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/915059
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