Bug 152551 - "Templates and Styles" help claims incorrectly that "Unless you specify otherwise, every new LibreOffice text document is based on the default template"
Summary: "Templates and Styles" help claims incorrectly that "Unless you specify other...
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Documentation (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
unspecified
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: BogdanB
URL:
Whiteboard: target:7.6.0 target:7.5.0.0.beta2
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2022-12-16 15:04 UTC by Mike Kaganski
Modified: 2022-12-19 09:43 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments

Note You need to log in before you can comment on or make changes to this bug.
Description Mike Kaganski 2022-12-16 15:04:33 UTC
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest/en-US/text/swriter/guide/templates_styles.html

> Unless you specify otherwise, every new LibreOffice text document is based on
> the default template

If this phrase appeared in a context of "defining a template as default", then it could be ~correct. But unless the user defined their default template explicitly, creation of new documents by default does *not* use *any* template - instead, some user settings and hardcoded program defaults are used for the newly created document.
Comment 1 BogdanB 2022-12-17 06:20:05 UTC
Mike, my default template is 2 cm all margins. All new documents are the same. So, could be correct that all new documents are based on a template. But only IF LibreOffice is taking default template when creating a new document.

But also, if the default template is created based on hardcoded numbers and a new document is created based on the same default hardcoded numbers that could also mean that it is based on the template, because we have the same settings in hardcoded code, template and new document created from code (default template).
Comment 2 Mike Kaganski 2022-12-17 06:31:38 UTC
(In reply to BogdanB from comment #1)
> my default template is 2 cm all margins. All new documents are the
> same. So, could be correct that all new documents are based on a template.

The latter does not follow from the former. "I have set a default template, and my new documents are being created from it" is *not* equal to "all new documents are based on a template".

> But only IF LibreOffice is taking default template when creating a new
> document.

LibreOffice *does* take a default template when creating a new document, *if and only if* the default template is set. When it's not set, no template is taken into account.

> But also, if the default template is created based on hardcoded numbers and
> a new document is created based on the same default hardcoded numbers that
> could also mean that it is based on the template, because we have the same
> settings in hardcoded code, template and new document created from code
> (default template).

This is playing words. The term "template" is used in a very specific sense in the technical documentation, which is LibreOffice help. It is about a kind of *files* (ODF) that have names, are placed somewhere in the filesystem, and so on. The term "default template" also has a very specific meaning in the documentation, namely "a template (see above) that is configured in LibreOffice (either in shared configuration, or user configuration) to be used by default". The philosophical/linguistical question "what one could call a template" is not relevant to our documentation. And the current situation is confusing. And that is especially important since MS Word, for instance, has a true "default template" (normal.dot(m)), and so people tend to expect something similar in LO *by default*.
Comment 3 BogdanB 2022-12-17 10:23:05 UTC
I reset 7.5 to Factory Settings and if I go to File - Templates - Manage Templates I have "Default" template unchecked. I considered that this "Default" is checked and used. But it seems none is used.

So, the solution of this bug should be that a default template to be used? Instead of changing the documentation? Mike?
Comment 4 Mike Kaganski 2022-12-17 10:34:05 UTC
(In reply to BogdanB from comment #3)
> So, the solution of this bug should be that a default template to be used?
> Instead of changing the documentation? Mike?

No, that would be not correct.
One consequence would be e.g. removal of automatic choice of the default paper size depending on the user's locale (Letter for en-US, A4 for ru-RU).

The template with the name "Default" in the list is just a normal pre-defined template, not any special at all. I don't see why having a default template is any better than the status quo.
Comment 5 Mike Kaganski 2022-12-17 10:35:00 UTC
(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #4)
> I don't see why having a default template is any better than the status quo.

I meant, "why requiring assignment of a default template is ..."
Comment 6 BogdanB 2022-12-17 10:40:14 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 7 BogdanB 2022-12-17 10:52:57 UTC
If the latest comment is ok this is the gerrit for this bug.
https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/c/help/+/144362
Comment 8 BogdanB 2022-12-18 10:12:40 UTC
https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/c/help/+/144362

The change in gerrit is from this one:
"Unless you specify otherwise, every new $[officename] text document is based on the default template."

To this one:
"You can change the default template, so every new $[officename] document would use it, unless you specified otherwise (for example, when you create a new document from a different template)."
Comment 9 Mike Kaganski 2022-12-18 10:37:07 UTC
(In reply to BogdanB from comment #8)
> To this one:
> "You can change the default template, ... 

May be "you can set ..." instead of "change", which implies that there already was one?
Comment 10 BogdanB 2022-12-18 10:41:53 UTC
(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #9)
> (In reply to BogdanB from comment #8)
> > To this one:
> > "You can change the default template, ... 
> 
> May be "you can set ..." instead of "change", which implies that there
> already was one?

Ok, exactly. Thanks
Comment 11 Commit Notification 2022-12-18 14:12:53 UTC
Bogdan B committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/help/commit/1e092fa52ec29ae38cbe77092356c21543377977

tdf#152551 Correct template usage for new files
Comment 12 Commit Notification 2022-12-19 09:43:46 UTC
Bogdan B committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "libreoffice-7-5":

https://git.libreoffice.org/help/commit/1f35280c910cf4a26a36666d24a956dd5ac56253

tdf#152551 Correct template usage for new files