Bug 64824

Summary: Random crashes while typing
Product: LibreOffice Reporter: Harald Kliems <kliems>
Component: WriterAssignee: Not Assigned <libreoffice-bugs>
Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME    
Severity: normal CC: barta, serval2412
Priority: medium    
Version: 4.0.1.2 release   
Hardware: Other   
OS: Windows (All)   
Whiteboard: BSA
Crash report or crash signature: Regression By:

Description Harald Kliems 2013-05-21 12:10:04 UTC
Problem description: During normal typing in LO Writer (or possibly during word completion), the software crashes and displays the "due to an unexpected error...document recovery" window. The documents almost always get flawlessly restored. I can't reliably reproduce the crash, as it happens at seemingly random intervals (minimum time maybe 30 minutes, maximum maybe 2 hours of typing). 

Because of a different bug, I have recently updated to the latest version and created a blank user profile. This did not change the behavior.

The bug happens both when editing .doc and .odt documents.

I mentioned the problem in the LO Google+ community and other users seem to have the same/very similar issue.
Operating System: Windows 7
Version: 4.0.1.2 release
Comment 1 Julien Nabet 2013-05-22 21:05:02 UTC
Did you install any specific extensions (after having reset your LO directory profile)?
Could you give a try to LO 4.0.3 and tell if you still reproduce these crashes?
Comment 2 Harald Kliems 2013-05-22 21:12:04 UTC
(In reply to comment #1)
> Did you install any specific extensions (after having reset your LO
> directory profile)?
> Could you give a try to LO 4.0.3 and tell if you still reproduce these
> crashes?

Yes, crashes have persisted through every update from 4.0.1 (I think) to 4.0.3. I have no extensions installed. Only changes made to configuration: set word completion parameters to minimum word length = 6 and maximum entries = 10000. Change single quotation marks to typographic marks.
Comment 3 Harald Kliems 2013-05-22 21:15:27 UTC
(In reply to comment #2)

> 
> Yes, crashes have persisted through every update from 4.0.1 (I think) to
> 4.0.3. I have no extensions installed. Only changes made to configuration:
> set word completion parameters to minimum word length = 6 and maximum
> entries = 10000. Change single quotation marks to typographic marks.

Oh, forgot to add one config change: accept word completion with tab instead of enter.
Comment 4 Julien Nabet 2013-05-23 04:57:44 UTC
kliems: thank you for your feedback.
Do you reproduce the crash without these 4 customizations?
If no, could you try to add these 1 by 1?
Obviously, the goal is to know if one of these customization may trigger this crash.
I'll give it a try myself as soon as my build of sources will be complete.
Comment 5 Harald Kliems 2013-05-23 10:36:44 UTC
(In reply to comment #4)
> kliems: thank you for your feedback.
> Do you reproduce the crash without these 4 customizations?
> If no, could you try to add these 1 by 1?
> Obviously, the goal is to know if one of these customization may trigger
> this crash.
> I'll give it a try myself as soon as my build of sources will be complete.

Could you remind me of the defaults for minimum word length and max number of entries?
Comment 6 Julien Nabet 2013-05-23 11:00:22 UTC
I'm not at home so I can't tell but you can just reset LO directory profile and you'll have them.
Comment 7 Harald Kliems 2013-05-24 00:58:00 UTC
Okay, so it seems to be related to word completion. I reset the word completion options (min. word length = 10; max. number of entries = 500; accept completion with enter; uncheck "append space") and for several hours of editing I haven't had crashes. I did not reset the whole profile. 

I'll now start playing around with the individual parameters.
Comment 8 Harald Kliems 2013-05-27 20:03:54 UTC
Bug reappeared a while after I changed from "Accept with: Enter" to "Accept with: Tab." (other parameters unchanged). Will switch back to "Accept with: Enter" and see if that keeps the crashes away.
Comment 9 Julien Nabet 2013-05-27 20:17:26 UTC
Harald: thank you for your feedback.
On pc Debian x86-64 with master sources updated today, I tried to reproduce this by using your options for word completion but no crash.

Do you reproduce this on a brand new file? Must the file be quite large? (about how many pages?)
Could you attach a file and indicate a minimal step by step process to reproduce this?
Comment 10 Harald Kliems 2013-05-27 20:25:34 UTC
(In reply to comment #9)
 
> Do you reproduce this on a brand new file? Must the file be quite large?
> (about how many pages?)
> Could you attach a file and indicate a minimal step by step process to
> reproduce this?
I'm doing interview transcription at the moment, meaning that I produce a lot of text. I can't remember if the crashes also occur when starting with a blank document, but I will try.

The problem with reproducing the crashes is that you need to be typing for quite some time, say 3 to 4 full pages of text. The file does not have to be large though. Current file size is 43kb/13 pages, and I've had the crashes occuring with smaller files, too. I'll open up a new file now and see if that has any impact (I usually re-use old files as templates for new documents).
Comment 11 Harald Kliems 2013-05-30 01:03:45 UTC
Small update: This time, I used a new document and changed the "Accept with:" setting back to "Tab", which previously produced a crash. After 9 pages of typing, I haven't had any crashes. I'll now change the min/max parameters to see if that brings back the problem.
Comment 12 Harald Kliems 2013-05-30 14:01:34 UTC
Crashes are back in the new document after setting the minimum word length to 6 characters. It only took two pages of typing to trigger the crash. Max number of entries remains at 10,000. Is it maybe possible that the crashes have something to do with what happens once the word completion list reaches its maximum? This seems somewhat plausible, as I didn't have crashes with min word length of 10 and max entries of 10,000, which probably means that I never got up to 10,000.

Maybe someone else can reproduce the crash by setting the minimum length to something very short and the max number of entries to 500?
Comment 13 Julien Nabet 2013-05-30 14:04:23 UTC
Harald: would it be possible you attach the last file so we can try to reproduce?
Comment 14 Harald Kliems 2013-05-30 14:08:27 UTC
(In reply to comment #13)
> Harald: would it be possible you attach the last file so we can try to
> reproduce?

Unfortunately, this is confidential material. And does the word completion list actually get saved with the document? If not -- and my theory is correct --, sending the file probably wouldn't help. 

I'll maybe try and write some non-confidential documents with the low limit word completion settings later today to see if I can reproduce the bug quicker and then upload the document.
Comment 15 Harald Kliems 2013-05-30 16:00:13 UTC
(In reply to comment #14)

> I'll maybe try and write some non-confidential documents with the low limit
> word completion settings later today to see if I can reproduce the bug
> quicker and then upload the document.

Doesn't seem to work that way: opened a new document, set min word lenght to 5, max number of entries to 500 and started typing away. After 3 pages/1500 words I don't have crashes so far (and am tired of typing meaningless text). I'll leave this document open and return to it when I have some more actual, non-confidential text to type. 

In the meantime I'll return to the confidential doc and reset parameters to 6/10,000, as I have to get some real work done.
Comment 16 Harald Kliems 2013-05-30 18:02:23 UTC
(In reply to comment #15)
> In the meantime I'll return to the confidential doc and reset parameters to
> 6/10,000, as I have to get some real work done.

Crash after ca. 4 pages/1800 words. So maybe in the previous run I did not wait long enough.
Comment 17 tommy27 2013-09-10 22:43:50 UTC
LibO 4.1.1 is out. try upgrading and tell us if you still face these issues.
Comment 18 Harald Kliems 2013-09-17 14:31:00 UTC
(In reply to comment #17)
> LibO 4.1.1 is out. try upgrading and tell us if you still face these issues.

I installed 4.1.1 right after it was released, and since then the bug has not re-appeared. So I think this can be set to "Resolved" for now.
Comment 19 tommy27 2013-09-17 15:00:18 UTC
Ok. set status to RESOLVED WORKSFORME.
feel free to reopen if the bug reappears.