Bug 107174 - Base should display a JRE Required notice instead a blank window and hanging LO
Summary: Base should display a JRE Required notice instead a blank window and hanging LO
Status: RESOLVED NOTABUG
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Base (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
5.3.0.3 release
Hardware: x86-64 (AMD64) Windows (All)
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2017-04-15 05:15 UTC by skierpage
Modified: 2017-04-16 03:26 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
screenshot of blank unresponsive Base and JRE Required (105.44 KB, image/png)
2017-04-15 05:15 UTC, skierpage
Details
alert when I visit Tools > Options> Internet > MediaWiki (24.87 KB, image/png)
2017-04-15 22:38 UTC, skierpage
Details

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Description skierpage 2017-04-15 05:15:39 UTC
Created attachment 132578 [details]
screenshot of blank unresponsive Base and JRE Required

This sounds like bug 72397 but that claims to be VERIFIED FIXED, so... ??

I wanted to create an address book database. So from Windows 10 start menu I started LibreOffice Base. LibreOffice Document Recovery warned that it found a .odt file and offered to recover it. I chose [Start] to allow this, so now I have a LibreOffice Writer document open.

Again I started Base. (Now I'm remembering what appeared as best I can.) A Database Wizard appeared.I left the default Create a new database, the only choice was HSQLDB Embedded, then Next>> and chose Yes, register the database for me, and checked Open the database for Editing and Create tables using the table wizard. Then [Finish] and It prompted me to save the file, I did so as TestAddressBook.

Then a blank window titled "TestAddressBook.odb - LibreOffice Base" appeared, and immediately an alert title "JRE Required" on top of that. I'm 90% sure I don't have any Java runtime installed. No content in either window. I closed the "JRE Required" with the Windows [X] icon, but then it reappeared, this time showing "(not responding)". The LibreOffice Writer window is also unresponsive. The cursor in any of these windows is a a blue circle (a non-animating busy icon?).

I tried right-clicking the LibreOffice Base icon in the Windows task bar and choose "Close All Windows", and nothing happened. I just tried it again and now Microsoft prompts "LibreOffice is not responding".

In Task Manager I have three "Apps" running under LibreOffice (32 bit) (3): JRE Required, TestAddressBook.odb - LibreOffice Base (Not Responding), and [restored file].odt - LibreOffice Writer (Not Responding). Under Background processes I have three LibreOffice (32 bit) processes , and two LibreOffice Base (32 bit) processes. None using any CPU. I attach a screenshot showing the Base window and alert (the .odt was on my other screen).

At times Windows warned that the application wasn't responding, asking if I should close it or wait, I always chose wait.  Interestingly after taking the screenshot I again right-clicked the LibreOffice Base icon in the Windows task bar and choose "Close All Windows", and all three windows and both taskbar icons went away.

I just repeated all the steps above (this time creating TestBaseHang.odb) and again the blank Base window and JRE Required windows appeared together with the recovered .odt file. This time I was not able to click [X] to dismiss the JRE Required window and I don't see the blue circle cursor (just a pointer), but all three windows are similarly unresponsive.

Maybe the table wizard requires JRE?
Comment 1 V Stuart Foote 2017-04-15 14:25:22 UTC
Yes using Base still requires Java runtime environment, eventually the move to FireBird as default should remove need for enabling a JRE--but for now still required on the Windows builds.

Please install a 32-bit JRE [1] and retest.

Note: the JRE will need to match the LibreOffice build flavor 32-bit or 64-bit, and will need to be selected active from the Tools -> Options -> Advanced dialog.

=-ref-=
[1] http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jre8-downloads-2133155.html
Comment 2 skierpage 2017-04-15 22:38:17 UTC
Created attachment 132595 [details]
alert when I visit Tools > Options> Internet > MediaWiki

I should see something like this instead of a blank white window when I try to use Base features that require Java.
Comment 3 skierpage 2017-04-15 22:57:12 UTC
 (In reply to V Stuart Foote from comment #1)
> Yes using Base still requires Java runtime environment, eventually the move
> to FireBird as default should remove need for enabling a JRE--but for now
> still required on the Windows builds.

OK, so the bug here is that Base doesn't tell you this, I changed the bug title. I can't recommend LibreOffice to normal users if trying to use a default part of the install will appear to work but then hang LibreOffice, display blank windows, and give no information on the solution to the problem but a confusing "JRE Required" window title. Instead Base must check for a JRE and display a user-friendly diagnostic, ideally with a [Help] or other link to more information. Maybe Base is trying to display such an alert, I'm not sure why the  "JRE Required" window is blank and unresponsive (see screenshot).

> Please install a 32-bit JRE [1] and retest.
This bug is not about whether I can make Base work, again it's about the default behavior of LibreOffice.

> Note: the JRE will need to match the LibreOffice build flavor 32-bit or
> 64-bit,and will need to be selected active from the Tools -> Options
> -> Advanced dialog.
>
> =-ref-=
> [1] http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/jre8-downloads-2133155.html
Awesome info thanks, it needs to be in the LO System Requirements and Release Notes pages, and a Google search for "LibreOffice JRE Required" should find it. I'll file a separate bug.
Comment 4 V Stuart Foote 2017-04-16 03:26:23 UTC
(In reply to skierpage from comment #3)

> Awesome info thanks, it needs to be in the LO System Requirements and
> Release Notes pages, and a Google search for "LibreOffice JRE Required"
> should find it. I'll file a separate bug.

http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/system-requirements/