It is important for people to be able to use the same shortcut keys for menus and for menu items, in the multiple different keyboard layouts they use. We can actually make that happen, with the "Ignore system input language" option in Tools > Options > Languages & Locales > General . And people complain about it when it's not turned on, see bug 41169 and several dupes.

So, why not just enable this option by default?

Because setting language of the text automatically, taking this information from the system input status, is most important for any user who uses several keyboard layout. This must be a NOTABUG/WONTFIX. Disabling it will make a disaster, when much more important thing will be disabled by default.

Then: it is wrong that this setting disables hotkeys. E.g., all hotkeys work for me, regardless of the layout / input language on my Windows system, which I use extensively. If something specific doesn't work in some situation, it needs to be fixed, not the setting disabled.

(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #2)

Oh, wait, this toggle also disables the setting of the text language? That's terrible... how come these two behaviors are combined into the same toggle?

(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #3)
> Then: it is wrong that this setting disables hotkeys. 

You mean, that this being _off_ disables hotkeys?

So, please have a look at the comments on bug 41169, where people are encouraging each other to enable this setting to resolve hotkey issues.

(In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #5)

Bug 41169 comment 42 seems to claim that. But the next one says that it doesn't make a difference (it's clear that what worked before, keeps working, and what didn't work keeps failing, when the option is toggled). The next comment mentioning that option is bug 41169 comment 50; and it again tells that the setting (expectedly for people knowing what it does) will make no difference. And finally, Jan tells in bug 41169 comment 53, that it needs to be closed, but if someone suffers the same, they should open another ticket, and don't forget to provide information, including if the setting makes any effect. Then no comments / duplicates since 2015.

I see no evidence that it is important; the only claim that it helped could (and most likely was) a confusion, when the user forgot what else did they do.

And just to clarify what I already mentioned: 100% of the time, both now and back then when I was a heavy user (not a developer) of LibreOffice (Writer), I worked with the checkbox *not set* (i.e., the system input language was always *considered* by Writer); and I heavily use (and used) two input languages (Russian and English), and shortcuts. So I claim again, that this setting has never prevented any shortcuts from working (for me and lots of my co-workers).

(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #6)
> Bug 41169 comment 42 seems to claim that. But the next one says that it
> doesn't make a difference

Well, it makes a difference for me. When I enable this setting, my shortcuts work when I'm in Hebrew layout, and when I disable it, they stop working.

But - I'll accept that this in itself is a bug, and close this one.

And also: this setting is completely not used (i.e., 100%) in any system except Windows and (since v.7.2) Qt5. It was completely impossible for that option to explain bug 41169 comment 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 18, 20, 23, 28, which were only about Linux and macOS, long pre-7.2. There is *no* chance it would be related.

(In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #8)
> But - I'll accept that this in itself is a bug, and close this one.

Please file a bug. If that is a thing, it must be fixed.

(In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #8)
Qualifying myself: The accelerators on the main menus don't work. Menu-independent shortcuts do work (I think). Opened bug 161850.

(In reply to Eyal Rozenberg from comment #4)
> Oh, wait, this toggle also disables the setting of the text language? That's
> terrible... how come these two behaviors are combined into the same toggle?

Somehow, I missed this reply.
I see that this setting, being non-working on Linux, creates a wrong idea.
The sole, the only intended function of that "ignore / take into account the system input language" is: either let the text language be what user set initially (when ignoring), or each typed character would get the language that is defined by the "keyboard layout" (system input language). This is EXTREMILY important; but it still works mainly only on Windows (I guess, that Qt5 integration users who can enjoy it on Linux are the minority). All other integrations - macOS, KDE, Gnome - miss this functionality (bug 108151). Also this only works in Writer (bug 34142, bug 127898).

You likely thought that this checkbox has some other function. No; if there is, it's accidental / unwanted / bug (which you filed, thanks).

Attachment 195059 [details] shows that.

Or rather, this checkbox allows to *disable* this useful functionality. Sometimes people don't want it: mainly, people in Roman-script languages. They often use a single keyboard layout / input language for all the languages they type (say, English + Italian); they don't even realize that they can use several input languages (even with same layout) on Windows, to enjoy automatic language detection. So they build a habit of defining the language manually, when they start typing a word in the other language; and if the language-from-system feature is enabled, they discover that Writer resets the language back to what their keyboard language indicator tells, not to what they had set. So they want to disable that feature - that's why that checkbox exists.

Now I hope it makes more sense.