Bug 149938 - Allow field order to be modified for Firebird databases.
Summary: Allow field order to be modified for Firebird databases.
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Base (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
7.3.4.2 release
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL: https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/how-do-...
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2022-07-10 16:33 UTC by Mr. Beedell, Roke Julian Lockhart (RJLB)
Modified: 2025-11-27 20:00 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
A Screenshot That Depicts That Firebase Support Is Unavailable In Binary Releases (119.99 KB, image/png)
2025-11-27 14:59 UTC, Mr. Beedell, Roke Julian Lockhart (RJLB)
Details
A Screenshot Of The Relevant Interface (40.43 KB, image/png)
2025-11-27 20:00 UTC, Mr. Beedell, Roke Julian Lockhart (RJLB)
Details

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Description Mr. Beedell, Roke Julian Lockhart (RJLB) 2022-07-10 16:33:17 UTC
Base should allow fields to be reordered.
Comment 1 Robert Großkopf 2022-07-10 17:22:25 UTC
This property isn't provided by the internal HSQLDB database. It will only allow to position a new field by SQL:

ALTER TABLE "Person" ADD "Forename" VARCHAR(25) BEFORE "Surname";

Internal Firebird (which is experimental at this moment) will allow to position a field after it has been inserted:

ALTER TABLE "Person" ALTER "Forename" POSITION 2;

But there are also bugs while people are trying to copy and paste with the table editor. Only fieldname and fieldtype where moved, but content will be at the same position of the table … DoN#t know the bug number.
Comment 2 Mr. Beedell, Roke Julian Lockhart (RJLB) 2022-07-18 14:26:55 UTC
Am I correct to think that Firebird allows this, and HSQLDB is (potentially) unable to provide this? If all of that is true, I suppose that my request is already being completed by the developers of the Experimental Features.
Comment 3 Robert Großkopf 2022-07-18 16:37:39 UTC
(In reply to BEEDELL ROKE JULIAN LOCKHART from comment #2)
> Am I correct to think that Firebird allows this, and HSQLDB is (potentially)
> unable to provide this? 

Firebird allows this in direct SQL, not through the GUI. And Firebird is experimental.
HSQLDB only allows to add a new field as a special position in direct SQL, not though GUI.

> If all of that is true, I suppose that my request is
> already being completed by the developers of the Experimental Features.

No, it isn't. Everybody, who tries to get this by GUI with any database (internal Firebird, HSQKDB external databases) by copy and paste of fields or cut and past of fields will see its doesn't work.

Use forms for input data. Base is made for this. You could sort fields there independent of sorting in the table.
Comment 4 Mr. Beedell, Roke Julian Lockhart (RJLB) 2022-07-18 17:26:29 UTC
(In reply to Robert Großkopf from comment #3)
> (In reply to BEEDELL ROKE JULIAN LOCKHART from comment #2)
> > Am I correct to think that Firebird allows this, and HSQLDB is (potentially)
> > unable to provide this? 
> 
> Firebird allows this in direct SQL, not through the GUI. And Firebird is
> experimental.
> HSQLDB only allows to add a new field as a special position in direct SQL,
> not though GUI.
> 
> > If all of that is true, I suppose that my request is
> > already being completed by the developers of the Experimental Features.
> 
> No, it isn't. Everybody, who tries to get this by GUI with any database
> (internal Firebird, HSQKDB external databases) by copy and paste of fields
> or cut and past of fields will see its doesn't work.
> 
> Use forms for input data. Base is made for this. You could sort fields there
> independent of sorting in the table.

Understood. I am new to database-management. You appear to have stated that I should use the form-feature to present the data as I desire, which might well remediate this problem for me. 

However, does no rationale exist for being able to reorder the fields of the database? Even if this is not useful for me, I do not want to close this report unless this is confirmed to be undesirable.

I am thankful for your assistance.
Comment 5 QA Administrators 2025-11-27 11:29:05 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 6 Mr. Beedell, Roke Julian Lockhart (RJLB) 2025-11-27 14:59:02 UTC
Created attachment 204316 [details]
A Screenshot That Depicts That Firebase Support Is Unavailable In Binary Releases

I am unable to confirm that this remains, because I solely see HSQLDB as an available option (rather than Firebase, too) in:

> ~~~
> Name        : libreoffice-base
> Epoch       : 1
> Version     : 25.8.3.2
> Release     : 2.fc43
> Architecture: x86_64
> Install Date: Thu 27 Nov 2025 14:07:05 GMT
> Size        : 5574829
> Signature   :
>               RSA/SHA256, Thu 13 Nov 2025 21:23:42 GMT, Key ID 829b606631645531
> Source RPM  : libreoffice-25.8.3.2-2.fc43.src.rpm
> Build Date  : Thu 13 Nov 2025 15:11:52 GMT
> Build Host  : buildhw-x86-08.rdu3.fedoraproject.org
> Packager    : Fedora Project
> Vendor      : Fedora Project
> ~~~

Due to https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=169709#c0, I've nothing newer to confirm with, because I cannot feasibly compile LO.
Comment 7 Robert Großkopf 2025-11-27 19:44:18 UTC
(In reply to Mr. Beedell, Roke Julian Lockhart (RJLB) from comment #6)
> Created attachment 204316 [details]
> A Screenshot That Depicts That Firebase Support Is Unavailable In Binary
> Releases

2 hints: You could activate it for internal new Firebird database by setting experimental features to "on".
You could use the external Firebird connection. A Firebird database will be created for this connection. Have a look at your screenshot.

But: Behavior is still the same as described in comment 1
Comment 8 Mr. Beedell, Roke Julian Lockhart (RJLB) 2025-11-27 20:00:00 UTC
Created attachment 204319 [details]
A Screenshot Of The Relevant Interface

(In reply to Robert Großkopf from comment #7)

> You could activate it for internal new Firebird database by setting
> experimental features to "on".

Thanks. That works. https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=78034#c0 always makes locating these preferences difficult.

> But: Behavior is still the same as described in comment 1

To answer what https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=149938#c5 requests:

> ~~~
> Version: 25.8.3.2 (X86_64)
> Build ID: 580(Build:2)
> OS: Linux 6.17; UI render: default; VCL: kf6 (cairo+wayland)
> ~~~