Bug 142423 - Adjust the default LibO heading sizes to avoid rounding/up down on DOCX export (causing layout shifts)
Summary: Adjust the default LibO heading sizes to avoid rounding/up down on DOCX expor...
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
Inherited From OOo
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Heiko Tietze
URL:
Whiteboard: target:7.4.0 target:7.3.2
Keywords: needsUXEval
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2021-05-22 09:47 UTC by Telesto
Modified: 2024-10-23 08:08 UTC (History)
6 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Example file (4.09 MB, application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text)
2021-05-22 09:48 UTC, Telesto
Details

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Description Telesto 2021-05-22 09:47:51 UTC
Description:
Template heading setup using font sizes - like 18.2 - not available in DOCX (so causing compatibility issues)

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open Writer
2. Apply heading 1 (navigator)
3. Type something
4. Export to DOCX
5. File reload -> Notice font size change from 18.2 to 18

6. Open the attached file
7. Save as DOCX
8. File reload -> Notice page shifts (bullet on start page 3 or empty page 5)

Actual Results:
Shifts

Expected Results:
Maybe be bit more compatible out of the box?


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No



Additional Info:
Version: 7.2.0.0.alpha1+ (x64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 05366b8e6683363688de8708a3d88cf144c7a2bf
CPU threads: 4; OS: Windows 6.3 Build 9600; UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: nl-NL (nl_NL); UI: en-US
Calc: CL
Comment 1 Telesto 2021-05-22 09:48:09 UTC
Created attachment 172244 [details]
Example file
Comment 2 Telesto 2021-05-22 09:52:12 UTC
Any change here might cause angry mob, I estimate.. but however matching DOCX font sizes by default -OOTB - maybe wise. 

Dislike ruined layouts on DOCX export
Comment 3 Mike Kaganski 2021-05-22 10:40:49 UTC
So what is the issue here? do you suggest to export 18.2 to DOCX (impossible, since sz element uses half-points, and so can only contain 18 or 18.5, not 18.2 - see ECMA-376-1:2016 sect. 17.3.2.38)? or to change the defaults in Writer? The issue is absolutely unclear in the description of what exactly the perceived problem is.
Comment 4 Telesto 2021-05-22 11:22:29 UTC
(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #3)
> So what is the issue here? do you suggest to export 18.2 to DOCX
> (impossible, since sz element uses half-points, and so can only contain 18
> or 18.5, not 18.2 - see ECMA-376-1:2016 sect. 17.3.2.38)? or to change the
> defaults in Writer? The issue is absolutely unclear in the description of
> what exactly the perceived problem is.

The issue laymen terms
Layout shifts on DOCX export because of rounding heading size up/down
Desired; preferably no sudden layout changes on DOCX export

Technical perspective
A) Export 18.2 pt size. However as you made clear: ECMA-376-1:2016 sect. 17.3.2.38 doesn't allow this. So no go.
B) Adjust the defaults Heading sizes of LibO so the default setting prevents rounding/up down DOCX export. So ODT -> DOCX conversion being working out of the box with stock settings. 
C) Different solution I didn't think of, yet.. 
* Say: Warning that certain setting not being compatible with DOCX
Comment 5 Heiko Tietze 2021-05-25 08:55:09 UTC
The 18.2pt is what you get from 130% - the size of Heading 1 related to its parent. Guess MSO cannot handle percent, so +1 to b).
Comment 6 Heiko Tietze 2022-02-24 10:00:49 UTC
Last change was in [1] to make H3 relative by setting it to 101%. 

Miklos, Laszlo, what do you think about using absolute values instead of the relative?

Tentative patch at https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/c/core/+/130475

[1] https://github.com/LibreOffice/core/commit/0597f3bb6b6066255b0ce50ea98d2dd7e2c6708b
Comment 7 Miklos Vajna 2022-02-24 11:29:55 UTC
I think it's reasonable to go with absolute values, it's the first time I hear about relative values in the context of Writer font sizes.
Comment 8 Commit Notification 2022-02-24 11:43:47 UTC
Heiko Tietze committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit/3c94c670fa3c3a4e00e88de7463c5e35f32b866e

Resolves tdf#142423 - Use absolute values for Writer styles

It will be available in 7.4.0.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Testing_Daily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Comment 9 Heiko Tietze 2022-02-24 11:49:59 UTC
H1: 130% / 18.2 => 18
H2: 115% / 16.1 => 16
H3: 101% / 14.1 => 14
H4:  95% / 13.3 => 13
H5:  85% / 11.9 => 12
H6:  80% / 11.2 => 10
H7:  80% / 11.2 => 10
H8:  75% / 10.5 => 9
H9:  75% / 10.5 => 9

Would never use these values (heading smaller than text body) nor randomly mixed with other attributes (bold, italic). My solution would be to activate the "Default" template and have these hard-coded values only as fallback.
Comment 10 Commit Notification 2022-02-25 10:44:56 UTC
Heiko Tietze committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "libreoffice-7-3":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit/a25c88daab20f1b7fc82b54171f260c4f20b9ba0

Resolves tdf#142423 - Use absolute values for Writer styles

It will be available in 7.3.2.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Testing_Daily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Comment 11 Commit Notification 2022-02-25 13:34:44 UTC
Xisco Fauli committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit/c6abf6449e26bb1e1da382ddbe769cd14463467f

tdf#142423: sw_uiwriter3: Add unittest

It will be available in 7.4.0.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Testing_Daily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Comment 12 Cor Nouws 2022-10-26 08:54:20 UTC
(In reply to Commit Notification from comment #11)

> Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Yes, feedback here.
Cf tdf#151258 long existing behavior with a rationale behind it, has been broken with this change.
I suggest to look at other solutions for this bug report.
Comment 13 Cor Nouws 2022-10-26 12:38:20 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #9)
> H1: 130% / 18.2 => 18
> H2: 115% / 16.1 => 16
> H3: 101% / 14.1 => 14
> H4:  95% / 13.3 => 13

My take would be to improve the algorithm to do a round() (for the first 4 headings)..
Comment 14 Heiko Tietze 2022-11-04 11:01:37 UTC
First of all I believe most users are not familiar with percentage font sizes and don't know a) what it means and b) how to change it. The rounding issue is just one problem.

(In reply to Cor Nouws from comment #13)
> My take would be to improve the algorithm to do a round() (for the first 4
> headings)..

Where do you expect the rounding to happen? 14 * 130% = 18.2 - we must not round the actual font size neither you want to read 128.57%. I see no way out.
Comment 15 Heiko Tietze 2023-05-05 09:24:16 UTC
(In reply to Cor Nouws from comment #12)
> (In reply to Commit Notification from comment #11)
> 
> > Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
> Yes, feedback here.
> Cf tdf#151258 long existing behavior with a rationale behind it, has been
> broken with this change.
> I suggest to look at other solutions for this bug report.

Let's keep an eye on this and decide if more users expect the percent rather than integer points.