it is a very intuitive behavior that text editors (such as Geany) indicate when a file has been modified by adding an * before the file name.... like: *myfile.ext in the case of a word processor (like LibreOffice Writer), of course, it is problematic, cause unlike text editors who simply look at the fact how many characters have been added, how many inputs have been received ... a word processor like Writer has a whole "markup workshop" behind the surface and it might be difficult to tell whether the document is the same as it was 10 minutes ago when it was last saved... STILL, editing steps and undos could be counted... from a "0" point, the last saved state (I mean, parallel to counting the editing steps, another counter would be activated, counting these steps from the last saved state, the "0" state) so, when a document has been modified, it could be indicated like *mydocument.odt when a number of CTRL+Zs have been issued, IF this number equal to the editing steps / available undo steps since the last "save", this indicator would change back to "unmodified"... like "mydoc.odt", without the *sterix but if the user hits another CTRL+Z, the document will have been modified (relative to the last save), so the *indicator would be ON again... I think this would be very-very helpful :) --- thank you for developing LibreOffice --- STEPS TO REPRODUCE: #1 create a document, add text to it: my apple pie, and save it as mydoc.odt #2 add "'s gone bad" #3 then click CTRL+Zs until you see the last saved state: "my apple pie" ----------------------- what happens: A: after you modified it, no indication that it has been modified B: after you commit CTRL+Zs, there's no indication that you are at the last saved state expected behavior: A: after you modify the document, its name in the file header at the top should change to *mydoc.odt B: after you've hit some CTRL+Zs and the text is as it was on last save, indication should change back to "saved" --> mydoc.odt (without the *sterix) C: after you hit CTRL+Z once more, it will be again "unsaved" --> *mydoc.odt D: if now you hit CTRL+Y, it shuld indicate "saved", again --> mydoc.odt -------------------------------- PS: of course, not the characters but the undo steps should be counted...
Created attachment 149425 [details] screenshot unsaved state lo 6.1.5.2
for current behaviour see attached screenshot
Do not see valid need for this. The GUI multifunction button already provides visual indicator of the changed/save-needed state, and any scheme that manipulates file names would not be especially helpful as there is limited exposure to the file name prior to starting a save action. IMHO => WF
Oliver shows in the two asterisks we have in c1. Of course, it depends on choosen icon theme.
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #4) > Of course, it depends on choosen icon theme. I forgot to mention: the screenshot shows the (deprecated) galaxy icon style with small icons
hi, as I wanted to file an enhancement suggestion, I've bumped into this... and I said, cool, I'll read it... especially since it was resolved... then I saw it was filed by me... in any case: I wanted to file it again today... so there must be a "valid need for this"... my user character: I write a lot, I'm a journalist as to the asterisk indication: we can say that it is a universal "sign" of the modified document... like green traffic light of "walk, you can cross"... but either way... what happened is that the traditional way of indicating the document has changed was taken out... and a small icon at the bottom of the application window is supposed to indicated that.. why? why make the writers have to look at the bottom of the window, too, before closing a file? in today's intuitive visual environment, such an extra move is inexplicable... if you guys don't like, for some reason the old and universal visual expression -- the indication of a modified file -- you could still respect the application users' adopted behavior: that they (we) look at the top of the application window when closing or saving a file... having to make an extra trip down to the bottom is irrational... if you want to modernize, you have to "organically" about it... respecting the visual traditions, language, etc :) :) - - - - from this state... - - - - from this state, I'd suggest to keep the bottom indication, too... and add a COLORED indication just before the filename... an orange asterisk, for example :) imagine how cool that was! *this_document_has_been_modified why not allow the users enjoy using the application? :) and in this case, we would have adopted TWO motifs of what's been in use... we would keep the indication at the bottom (which one has to look for, cause not only the bottom but also its horizontal position needs to be found)... plus the coloring technique! :) the next stage would thus have what's been in used, but in an improved way! :) I'd personally find it a very good development... cause just in the past couple of days, I have run into this problem -- thinking it has been saved, but it hasn't, and then not being able to figure by hitting CRTL+Z what was the last modification -- as many times as I thought, all right, I'll take some 20-30 minutes to report this enhancement suggestion... I hope you'll reconsider... and I'm sure, once you ask your testing community what they think, they'll vote "please let us have the colored asterisk" and not "we don't think it's even necessary"... I mean, you should just try... Peter -- thank you for developing libreoffice! --