Bug 149698 - Mail Merge database connection lost every time
Summary: Mail Merge database connection lost every time
Status: RESOLVED INSUFFICIENTDATA
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Base (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
7.3.2.2 release
Hardware: All Linux (All)
: medium normal
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: Mail-Merge
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2022-06-23 13:37 UTC by besancon4me
Modified: 2023-02-07 03:25 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Error message - the connection could not be established (62.37 KB, image/png)
2022-07-08 17:07 UTC, besancon4me
Details
Screenshot of error logs (71.36 KB, image/png)
2022-07-08 17:16 UTC, besancon4me
Details
second screen shot of error logs (64.73 KB, image/png)
2022-07-08 17:19 UTC, besancon4me
Details
Rather unhelpful error messages (46.35 KB, image/png)
2022-07-08 17:27 UTC, besancon4me
Details

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Description besancon4me 2022-06-23 13:37:10 UTC
Description:
I have a LibreOffice Writer document with 2 mail merge fields which links to a Base file in the same folder. The Base file is fed from a spreadsheet in the same folder. Every time I open the Writer document and attempt to do a mail merge I get an exception: The connection to the data source "Constats Database" could not be established. the file (path to spreadsheet) could not be loaded../connectivity/source/commontools/dbexception.cxx:413

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Open the Writer document & Print (mail merge)
2.Error exception


Actual Results:
Base cannot find the spreadsheet

Expected Results:
The dialogue box should open to allow me to select the rows in the database I want to merge.


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No



Additional Info:
I have to try to establish a new database connection every time. The dialogue box show me all the previous database links that have been made but I can't connect to any of them, nor can I remove them. Every new link is incremented by 1.
Comment 1 Timur 2022-07-08 09:36:25 UTC
(In reply to besancon4me from comment #0)
> The Base file is fed from a spreadsheet in the same folder. 
It's always like that, Base file is created. 

> I have to try to establish a new database connection every time.
You didn't explain in detail what you do. You may need to try Edit-Exchange database. 

Please try to recreate the problem using in-built Bibliography database, and attach ODT with those fields. 

> User Profile Reset: No
Please do this, rename LO profile folder.
Comment 2 besancon4me 2022-07-08 17:07:37 UTC
Created attachment 181182 [details]
Error message - the connection could not be established
Comment 3 besancon4me 2022-07-08 17:14:27 UTC
"It's always like that, Base file is created." 
I don't think you understand. I realise that when you FIRST create a mail merge document in Open Office you link it to a spreadsheet and that generates a datanbase file from the spreadsheet. That much is clear. The first mail merge worked fine. But a few days later I needed to do another mail merge using the same Open Office text file, the same spreadsheet and the same database, but this returned an error.

The only way I could get the merge to work was to make an entirely new link. This surely cannot be expected behaviour?

I am attaching screen shots of the error messages to this report.
I am also attaching a screen shot of the log file, which seems to be indicating some kind of a problem with snaps.  I don't know if this is related, but it happened when I tried to recreate the error, and the whole Open Office application froze.
Comment 4 besancon4me 2022-07-08 17:16:17 UTC
Created attachment 181183 [details]
Screenshot of error logs
Comment 5 besancon4me 2022-07-08 17:19:05 UTC
Created attachment 181184 [details]
second screen shot of error logs
Comment 6 besancon4me 2022-07-08 17:27:00 UTC
Created attachment 181185 [details]
Rather unhelpful error messages
Comment 7 Timur 2022-07-08 17:56:28 UTC
So it's Linux. You should still follow suggestions from Comment 1 and maybe try to relocate ODS from that long path.
Comment 8 besancon4me 2022-07-08 18:26:09 UTC
Sorry but I did not understand your 'suggestions" in Comment 1. Could you reword in pl
Comment 9 besancon4me 2022-07-08 18:26:57 UTC
...could you reword in plain English, please?
Comment 10 QA Administrators 2022-07-09 03:35:37 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 11 Robert Großkopf 2022-07-09 09:32:37 UTC
First error message:
Does the path
file:///home/lorna/TEFL/aaa%20ILCF%20Chanb%C3A9ry/02%20SNCF%20constats%20tests/Constats/Constats/Calendar%20entries.ods
really exist?
Comment 12 besancon4me 2022-07-09 12:01:12 UTC
The path exists, but the folder names contain spaces which have been filled with the characters %20 and accented characters have been rendered as %C3A9.

Is it possible that the code is unable to cope with a long path name? I know long file names can sometimes cause issues, and certain special characters such as question marks in a file or folder name can mess up backups etc.
Comment 13 Timur 2022-07-09 13:24:41 UTC
Bug needs to be reproducible. 
To ask you to attach that ODS here is too early. 
You should try to solve yourself, but write what you tried. 

1. We don't know how you re-register ODS, is it via Edit - Exchange database? 
2. Move ODS to TEFL folder and re-register it. 
3. Try to rename 'user' profile folder where LO is. 
4. If you still have a problem, try to recreate the problem using in-built Bibliography database, create and attach ODT with those fields.
Comment 14 Robert Großkopf 2022-07-09 13:29:15 UTC
(In reply to besancon4me from comment #12)

> 
> Is it possible that the code is unable to cope with a long path name? I know
> long file names can sometimes cause issues, and certain special characters
> such as question marks in a file or folder name can mess up backups etc.

Have tested this with a path name like this:
file:///home/robby/Dokumente/Datenbanken/Sportverein/Neuer%20Ordner/%C3%9Cber%20den%20Wolken/calc%20%3F%20noch%20mehr/Calc_Adress.ods

There are spaces, one "Ü" and a "?" in the path. Path is a little bit longer than path, which doesn't work as reported.

I have created a file for mail merge in this path. I could execute the mail merge without any problem. Data were found and set in Writer document.
So I shut down LO, restart the whole system, restart LO and tried again. Again no problem while executing mail merge.

Tested all with OpenSUSE 15.3 64bit rpm Linux.
LibreOffice
Version: 7.3.5.1 / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: d56c1c78db15939340c3db8ee3b6667832313d23
CPU threads: 6; OS: Linux 5.3; UI render: default; VCL: kf5 (cairo+xcb)
Locale: de-DE (de_DE.UTF-8); UI: de-DE
Calc: threaded

I couldn't find any buggy behavior here.
Comment 15 Alex Thurgood 2022-07-10 14:37:48 UTC
@besoncon4me :

Could you tell us which kind of package version of LibreOffice you are using ?

Are you using TDF packages, or Linux distrib provided packages, or Snap, Flatpak, etc ?
Comment 16 QA Administrators 2023-01-07 03:18:40 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 17 QA Administrators 2023-02-07 03:25:04 UTC
Dear besancon4me,

Please read this message in its entirety before proceeding.

Your bug report is being closed as INSUFFICIENTDATA due to inactivity and
a lack of information which is needed in order to accurately
reproduce and confirm the problem. We encourage you to retest
your bug against the latest release. If the issue is still
present in the latest stable release, we need the following
information (please ignore any that you've already provided):

a) Provide details of your system including your operating
   system and the latest version of LibreOffice that you have
   confirmed the bug to be present

b) Provide easy to reproduce steps – the simpler the better

c) Provide any test case(s) which will help us confirm the problem

d) Provide screenshots of the problem if you think it might help

e) Read all comments and provide any requested information

Once all of this is done, please set the bug back to UNCONFIRMED
and we will attempt to reproduce the issue. Please do not:

a) respond via email 

b) update the version field in the bug or any of the other details
   on the top section of our bug tracker

Warm Regards,
QA Team

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