Description: Writer offers users a way to view and edit a document with a split screen--split either vertically or horizontally--with a minimally visible user interface. But it's not obvious, and each time one wishes to have such a split screen one needs to go through several steps. Being able to invoke such a split screen through an icon or keystroke would be a boon to those who want to use this much-desired functionality. Steps to Reproduce: Under the "View" menu: Set "User Interface" to "Sidebar." Hide (deselect): all Toolbars, one by one the Status Bar the Rulers the horizontal Scrollbars Open a new window (Window --> New Window). Move the two windows to the positions desired. Actual Results: This method gives a split-screen view, with a minimally visible user interface. The screens are independently scrollable and editable. Changes made in one screen show up in the other. Expected Results: As above. But being able to invoke such a split screen through a menu item, an icon, or a keystroke would be a boon to those who want to use this much-desired functionality. (Ideally, one should also be able to toggle between split-screen view and one's previous settings.) I would think that all the steps could be baked into the LO code. Reproducible: Always User Profile Reset: No Additional Info: Limitations (as experienced under Ubuntu): * If the windows are tiled side by side and the content of a document is wide, the content may extend beyond the limits of a half-screen window, The user can zoom out to make the content smaller. But perhaps this will make text too small. And the user can't solve this by switching to web view, because the "new window" feature doesn't accommodate it. * If the windows are tiled one above another, to reproportion them one has to move each window individually. They won't move together. --------- Perhaps some of the code here might be relevant and useful. I don't know. https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/help-with-a-macro-in-lo-calc/73027/6
Created attachment 185275 [details] Screen split horizontally, with minimally visible user interface
Created attachment 185276 [details] screen split vertically, with minimally visible user interface
In summary, it would be a combination of a "distraction-free" mode (like some writing applications have, to entirely focus on the content and rely on a handful of needed shortcuts) and a split-window feature. The most "distraction-free" we have currently is the fullscreen view, but we can't use two views side-by-side. The most minimal built-in UIs we have are "single toolbar" and "contextual single". To get what you want, I think we already have the relevant enhancement requests open: - Split window is requested in bug 31481 - Distraction-free mode is requested in bug 53895 Given that there already is the workaround you described, and existing enhancement requests that would cover your use-case, I don't think it makes sense to keep this open. Most effort is in removing the UI elements, so I'm marking this as a duplicate of bug 53895. Unless this can be turned into a request for an extra "Minimal" UI choice in View > User Interface, which wouldn't apply exclusively to Writer? *** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 53895 ***
Thank you, Stéphane. We have requests to provide three different enhancements: 1. Distraction-free writing. (Bug 53895) In essence, nothing on the screen but a clean “virtual paper.” As with WriteRoom, OmmWriter, FocusWriter (open source), “distraction-free mode” in MS-Office, etc. 2. A “proofreading mode” by which to compare two different documents side by side. (Bug 31481, and more precisely defined there in Comment number 10) Lets you scroll both documents together in sync, in two panes in one window. As with the proofreading mode in MS-Office 2010. 3. A split screen for a single document. (Open Office bug 19291, https://bz.apache.org/ooo/show_bug.cgi?id=19291) Lets you independently scroll and edit two different parts of one document. Although each of these enhancements asks for minimal visible intrusion from the user interface, the three features are entirely different. Neither feature 1 nor feature 2 covers the use case for feature 3. Even though what Bug 31481 asks for is feature 2, what many of the users commenting there are pleading for is feature 3. Of the three features, feature 3 seems the one most often requested, but I couldn’t find a LO bug report for it. Before submitting Bug 153509, I saw Bug 31481. But what that asks for is feature 2. So I filed a separate bug to focus on feature 3 (and offer what seems like a feasible way to address it). Perhaps you might wish to leave all three of these bugs open and create a “meta-bug” to span all three, since they do all share a need to keep the user interface out of the way. By the way: Thanks to the devs for full-screen view, the “new window” feature, and the “Sidebar” view, all useful.
Thank for the reply. My assumption is that the possible implementation of a split screen would allow both same-document and comparison views, which is why I thought that would cover your case. In any case, I'm sure the UX/UI team has given the topic some thought in the past, so I am copying them here to see what they think.
(In reply to Stéphane Guillou (stragu) from comment #5) > Thank for the reply. > > My assumption is that the possible implementation of a split screen would > allow both same-document and comparison views, which is why I thought that > would cover your case. > > In any case, I'm sure the UX/UI team has given the topic some thought in the > past, so I am copying them here to see what they think. There is bug 149374 (made a duplicate of 31481 as well). And I understand 31481 as exactly what is asked in #3, a split view for one single document (we have this feature in Calc). See all the duplicates, for example bug 42428. Showing two different files like one document separated by a splitter makes not much sense. Sidenote: Bug 37134 asks for a tabbed UI where switching between open documents would be as easy as in browsers. Bug 101788 discusses "Split button for display modes".