Bug 147273 - Copying From Calc + Paste Unformatted Text into Writer = All Text in Single Cell
Summary: Copying From Calc + Paste Unformatted Text into Writer = All Text in Single Cell
Status: RESOLVED NOTABUG
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Documentation (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
7.3.0.3 release
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL: https://help.libreoffice.org/7.3/en-U...
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2022-02-07 22:43 UTC by Tex2002ans
Modified: 2022-02-16 15:47 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Calc 3x3 Table with Colors (9.48 KB, application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.spreadsheet)
2022-02-07 22:45 UTC, Tex2002ans
Details
Writer 3x3 Table with Formatting (9.45 KB, application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text)
2022-02-07 22:45 UTC, Tex2002ans
Details
Excel 2016 3x3 Table with Colors (9.59 KB, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet)
2022-02-09 12:02 UTC, Tex2002ans
Details
Word 2016 Table with Formatting (12.16 KB, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document)
2022-02-09 12:02 UTC, Tex2002ans
Details

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Description Tex2002ans 2022-02-07 22:43:45 UTC
Description:
I think this is a regression of Bug #37223.

I have a basic table in Calc:

- Apples | Bananas | Carrots
- A | B | C
- 1 | 2 | 3

Pasting "Unformatted Text" into Writer results in all text being shoved into a single cell.

Steps to Reproduce:
0. Open the two attached documents. (ODS + ODT)
1. In Calc, highlight 3x3 colorful table.
2. **Copy (Ctrl+C)**.
3. In Writer, click in first cell.
4. **Edit > Paste Special > Paste as Unformatted Text (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V)**.

Actual Results:
All text gets shoved into the very first Writer cell.

Expected Results:
- Row 1 = Apples | Banana | Carrots
- Row 2 = A | B | C
- Row 3 = 1 | 2 | 3


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No



Additional Info:
Version: 7.3.0.3 (x64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 0f246aa12d0eee4a0f7adcefbf7c878fc2238db3
CPU threads: 8; OS: Windows 10.0 Build 19044; UI render: Skia/Vulkan; VCL: win
Locale: en-US (en_US); UI: en-US
Calc: threaded

* * *

I was trying to debug an issue posted here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/libreoffice/comments/smy4u2/paste_text_matching_style_keep_target_formatting/

and stumbled across this regression. If this "Paste Unformatted Text" bug is solved, I believe that user's issue will be solved too. (It dealt with Writer table formatting not appearing.)
Comment 1 Tex2002ans 2022-02-07 22:45:05 UTC
Created attachment 178129 [details]
Calc 3x3 Table with Colors
Comment 2 Tex2002ans 2022-02-07 22:45:45 UTC
Created attachment 178130 [details]
Writer 3x3 Table with Formatting
Comment 3 Xisco Faulí 2022-02-08 09:04:20 UTC
it works if you just use 'paste'.

Version: 7.4.0.0.alpha0+ / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 24e6217c0abdaed703a077e77881ad6e8b4f6f0e
CPU threads: 8; OS: Linux 5.10; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3
Locale: es-ES (es_ES.UTF-8); UI: en-US
Calc: threaded

Why do you say it's a regression? does it work with an older version ?
Comment 4 Tex2002ans 2022-02-08 23:30:17 UTC
> It works if you just use 'paste'.

Yes.

Normal "Paste" (Ctrl+V) transfers text from the 3x3 grid correctly.

But "Paste as Unformatted Text" (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V) shoves everything into a single cell.

I'd expect it to redistribute the plaintext within a 3x3 table too.

* * *

When reporting this bug, I was trying to separate out multiple separate issues, but it may make sense if I explain the ultimate goal.

Here's the use-case:

Goal 1. Transfer a table's information into Writer WITHOUT all the Calc formatting crud.

Goal 2. Pasted 3x3 table follows all Writer's formatting instead.

The way it currently stands:

- Ctrl+V transfers the 3x3 text correctly.
--- But also carries over all the Calc formatting.
--- (In this case: COLORS.)
- Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V shoves all plaintext into a single cell.

But what was expected is:

- Ctrl+Alt+Shift+V distributes plaintext into 3x3 table.
--- Follows Writer formatting.
--- (In this case: Bold/Italics/Alignment.)

* * *

> Why do you say it's a regression? does it work with an older version ?

I tested in 7.1:

Version: 7.1.8.1 (x64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: e1f30c802c3269a1d052614453f260e49458c82c
CPU threads: 8; OS: Windows 10.0 Build 19044; UI render: Skia/Vulkan; VCL: win
Locale: en-US (en_US); UI: en-US
Calc: threaded

and it acts the same as 7.3, so I wrongly used the word "regression".

I meant to say "potentially related"... since that bug #37223 also dealt with "everything pasting into a single cell".

* * *

Anyway, I've run across some other oddities while testing this.

(I'm able to get Calc's colors to appear + not appear depending on the order/location of me copying/pasting.)

I wasn't sure to shove those in here OR treat them as separate bugs.
Comment 5 Xisco Faulí 2022-02-09 09:12:11 UTC
Hello,
I expect it to be the correct behaviour, that's why you are pasting it as unformatted.
Anyway, adding the UX Team for a third decision. How other sofwares behave in this situation ?
Comment 6 Tex2002ans 2022-02-09 12:00:50 UTC
> I expect it to be the correct behaviour, that's why you are pasting it as unformatted.

You expect the current? Or what I proposed?

> How other sofwares behave in this situation ?

I reproduced+attached my testfiles in:

- Excel 2016
- Word 2016

+ saved them as:

- XLSX
- DOCX

* * *

In Excel->Word:

Following Step 1+2 + Ctrl+V into first cell:

- Pastes all colored text into first cell.
--- I think it pastes a 3x3 table, similar to what was described in LO's Bug #37223.

* * *

Another thing I noticed in Excel->Word:

After you Ctrl+V (paste) 3x3 table into Word's first cell, you get 4 "Paste Options":

1. Nest Table (N)
2. Merge Table (M)
- This looks to be ~ what I was expecting!
- Although it actually:
--- Adds extra 3x3 rows between rows 1+2.
--- Carries over Excel's formatting.
3. Insert As New Rows (R)
4. Keep Text Only (K)
- Looks to be similar to LO's Paste "Unformatted Text".
--- Word shoves 3x3 text (with tabs between) into first cell.
--- LO does vertical line of text with enters between.

On a related note... if you Ctrl+V (paste) it into a normal Word paragraph, you get different "Paste Options":

1. Keep Source Formatting (K)
2. Use Destination Styles (S)
3. Link & Keep Source Formatting (F)
4. Link & Use Destination Styles (L)
5. Picture (U)
5. Keep Text Only (T)

Anyway, I'm not familiar enough with Excel/Word to know what all the intricate differences are.
Comment 7 Tex2002ans 2022-02-09 12:02:02 UTC
Created attachment 178165 [details]
Excel 2016 3x3 Table with Colors
Comment 8 Tex2002ans 2022-02-09 12:02:43 UTC
Created attachment 178166 [details]
Word 2016 Table with Formatting
Comment 9 V Stuart Foote 2022-02-09 14:41:14 UTC
No. Please read what, how an why the OLE from a Calc sheet is now being handled when importing to Writer text document.

https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/c/core/+/58346/

Resolved see also bug 37223 or OOo i24500 (from 2004) was far more annoying situation requiring user to paste the OLE object to Writer canvas and then copy content to a new table within Writer. 

A clean paste (default Ctrl-v) into a template compliant table (Default style by default) is perfectly functional. Adjust table style if needed.

No *regression* involved, convince yourself with an install of a pre-6.1 build from archive. https://downloadarchive.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/old/ to see how your example behaved.

Also, we really don't care how MS handles things with MS Office they provide no standard for UX.

NAB => WF
Comment 10 Heiko Tietze 2022-02-10 09:26:40 UTC
Concur with Stuart's statement, pasting into an existing table accepts plain text while pasting into a new paragraph inserts a table with all formatting. 

But I wonder if we have a documentation gap. Your call, Olivier.
Comment 11 Xisco Faulí 2022-02-10 09:34:37 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #10)
> Concur with Stuart's statement, pasting into an existing table accepts plain
> text while pasting into a new paragraph inserts a table with all formatting. 
> 
> But I wonder if we have a documentation gap. Your call, Olivier.

Yes, that the case for normal paste, but we need clarification about paste as unformatted text. To me, the currect behaviour is right but I wanted the UX opinion, that's why I added you
Comment 12 Heiko Tietze 2022-02-10 10:12:44 UTC
(In reply to Xisco Faulí from comment #11)
> Yes, that the case for normal paste, but we need clarification about paste
> as unformatted text. To me, the currect behaviour is right but I wanted the
> UX opinion, that's why I added you

Paste adds unformatted, plain text; it won't overwrite any previous formatting in the table, which is desired in most cases. 

And paste inserted cells with formatting when creating a new table. Makes sense to me.
Comment 13 Xisco Faulí 2022-02-16 15:47:49 UTC
@Heiko, thanks for the clarification
Closing as RESOLVED NOTABUG