Bug 156188 - Add Last Used category to Formula Editor
Summary: Add Last Used category to Formula Editor
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Formula Editor (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
Inherited From OOo
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: Elements-Pane
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Reported: 2023-07-07 12:34 UTC by George
Modified: 2023-07-27 16:15 UTC (History)
4 users (show)

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Crash report or crash signature:


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Description George 2023-07-07 12:34:22 UTC
Description:
Currently the Formula pane (which can be opened in writer, draw, etc) has a drop-down list which categorizes the available notations into pre-defined categories (e.g. "Unary/Binary operators", "Relations", "Set operators", etc).

It would be very useful for users who use formulas extensively to have one (or even several) "Favorites" sections added to the the drop-down list, where said "Favorites" section(s) will allow the user to place and organize their most commonly used symbols. A simple reorderable list (of user-selected symbols) will already go a long way to making formulas more usable, and if a HorizontalSeparator bar could also be made available (to visually separate groups of symbols in the Favorites list) it would be really great.

Steps to Reproduce:
Open formula editor


Actual Results:
n/a

Expected Results:
In the Formual Editor's drop-down list with the groups of symbols, have a new entry "Favorites". The "Favorites" should have some sort of editor which allows to place, (re)order, and group the items inside with separators (e.g. a Formula Favorites tab in the LibreOffice Tools->Customize providing something similar to e.g. the Menu Editor tab)n/a


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
n/a
Comment 1 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2023-07-08 06:00:04 UTC
Thanks George, sounds like a good idea to me.
Couldn't find a duplicate.
Let's see what the Design team thinks.
Comment 2 V Stuart Foote 2023-07-08 19:31:07 UTC
Not clear this is a viable approach. The sm Formula editor assembles entries made in the Edit frame into the math nodes displayed.

Seems like a better way to proceed here would be the enable the global Special Character Dialog (SCD) split button and charchart picker for use in the sm Formula Editor.  The SCD split button already has support for global Favorites (12) and Recents (up to 12).

The current Elements --> 'Others' panel provides picker for common single glyph elements. 

While the 'Symbols...' picker dialog gives other presets and each of the styles (Greek, iGreek and Special) includes an 'Insert' button action to add user favorites.

The intent is customization (as recorded to user profile for reuse), the Symbols... --> Special --> Insert... provides that now.  While the 'Others' panel remains fixed.

Then there is the issue where specific symbols have StarMath or MathML "Names" https://www.w3.org/TR/MathML2/byalpha.html used to compose the sm formula nodes.
Comment 3 Heiko Tietze 2023-07-10 08:53:05 UTC
How about a category "Last Used" similar to the functions dialog/sidebar in Calc? 

(Should be renamed to "Recently Used", btw.)
Comment 4 George 2023-07-16 12:36:59 UTC
(In reply to V Stuart Foote from comment #2)
> Not clear this is a viable approach. The sm Formula editor assembles entries
> made in the Edit frame into the math nodes displayed.
> 
> Seems like a better way to proceed here would be the enable the global
> Special Character Dialog (SCD) split button and charchart picker for use in
> the sm Formula Editor.  The SCD split button already has support for global
> Favorites (12) and Recents (up to 12).
> 
> The current Elements --> 'Others' panel provides picker for common single
> glyph elements. 
> 
> While the 'Symbols...' picker dialog gives other presets and each of the
> styles (Greek, iGreek and Special) includes an 'Insert' button action to add
> user favorites.
> 
> The intent is customization (as recorded to user profile for reuse), the
> Symbols... --> Special --> Insert... provides that now.  While the 'Others'
> panel remains fixed.
> 
> Then there is the issue where specific symbols have StarMath or MathML
> "Names" https://www.w3.org/TR/MathML2/byalpha.html used to compose the sm
> formula nodes.

Special character is no good here, the formulae accept arguments, can be hierarchical, etc. I don't see why "Not clear this is a viable approach", if it's something that can be implemented then that's what viable means, are you saying such a feature cannot be implemented in libreoffice?
Comment 5 George 2023-07-16 12:37:51 UTC
forgot to mention, the Favorites section should be the default when the formula editor opens
Comment 6 Heiko Tietze 2023-07-20 08:47:53 UTC
The topic was on the agenda of the design meeting but didn't receive further comments. So let's take my proposal and add a Last Used category. I think some const variable to limit the number of items makes sense with a last out function.
Comment 7 George 2023-07-27 16:15:32 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #6)
> The topic was on the agenda of the design meeting but didn't receive further
> comments. So let's take my proposal and add a Last Used category. I think
> some const variable to limit the number of items makes sense with a last out
> function.

that's definitely much better than nothing, but it wouldn't allow rearranging the items nor placing separators to visually separate items into groups. still, this would definitely be a good start, and maybe a full fledged "Favorites" will get implemented at a later time.

and now we wait :)