Bug 163483 - Math equations in an Impress file totally disappear when saving it as a PPTX file in 24.8
Summary: Math equations in an Impress file totally disappear when saving it as a PPTX ...
Status: RESOLVED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Impress (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
24.8.2.1 release
Hardware: All All
: medium normal
Assignee: Mike Kaganski
URL:
Whiteboard: target:25.2.0 target:24.8.5 target:24...
Keywords: bibisected, bisected, regression
Depends on:
Blocks: PPTX-Equations
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2024-10-17 09:24 UTC by Andy
Modified: 2025-01-04 12:16 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
PPTX file with equation (created in Impress) (8.33 KB, application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation)
2024-11-29 11:59 UTC, Rafael Lima
Details
THe single slide file used in the video which is the following attachment (170.03 KB, application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.presentation)
2024-12-30 17:26 UTC, Andy
Details
Video showing corruption due to 25.2 version that were not present using 24.2 (18.69 MB, video/mp4)
2024-12-30 17:39 UTC, Andy
Details

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Description Andy 2024-10-17 09:24:21 UTC
Description:
When saving a presentation file created with Impress with LO24.8 that contains some math formula editor objects in pptx format, all such objects totally disappear from slides. This did not happen with 24.2
NOTICE that if you open the converted pptx file with PowerPoint, the formula is there; but if you open it again with LO24.8, there is no trace of it

Steps to Reproduce:
1.Create an Impress file, insert any equation editor math formula
2.Save the file in pptx format, and close it
3.Now reopen it with LO; the formula is not there anymore

Actual Results:
the pptx converted file when reopened with LO24.8 does not show all math formulas that were inserted. Not even as transparent objects: they are simply not present anymore.

Expected Results:
Math formulas should be in the file, visible and editable.
Indeed, if you open the converted file with the Microsoft program, formulas are there. So it looks like LO24.8 just overlooks their presence in the file.
However, if you save the pptx again back into odp format, they are definitely lost and cannot be recovered.
None of this happened in LO24.2


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
Version: 24.8.2.1 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 0f794b6e29741098670a3b95d60478a65d05ef13
CPU threads: 8; OS: Windows 10 X86_64 (10.0 build 17763); UI render: Skia/Vulkan; VCL: win
Locale: it-IT (it_IT); UI: it-IT
Calc: threaded
Comment 1 raal 2024-10-21 21:04:31 UTC
Confirm with Version: 25.2.0.0.alpha0+ (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 693b230aed7b1ca5b6f1a95ed1a76d938f5a6645
CPU threads: 4; OS: Linux 6.8; UI render: default; VCL: kf5 (cairo+xcb)
Locale: cs-CZ (cs_CZ.UTF-8); UI: en-US
Calc: threaded

Regression, works in Version: 7.3.7.2 / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 30(Build:2)
CPU threads: 4; OS: Linux 6.8; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3
Locale: cs-CZ (cs_CZ.UTF-8); UI: cs-CZ
Ubuntu package version: 1:7.3.7-0ubuntu0.22.04.7
Calc: threaded
Comment 2 raal 2024-10-21 21:17:08 UTC
This seems to have begun at the below commit in bibisect repository/OS linux-64-25.2.
 127cad26d875f54b989e48c0782f70f6034b6203 is the first bad commit
commit 127cad26d875f54b989e48c0782f70f6034b6203
Author: Jenkins Build User <tdf@maggie.tdf>
Date:   Wed Sep 11 16:05:11 2024 +0200

    source 7cfff4751befd678b3db4b6f16b020d38f4e9c32

173163: Related: tdf#129061 Avoid formula import and use fallback for now | https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/c/core/+/173163

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 129061 ***
Comment 3 Rafael Lima 2024-11-29 11:59:16 UTC
Created attachment 197855 [details]
PPTX file with equation (created in Impress)

So I created a file in Impress with some equations and saved it as PPTX (see attached file).

If you open it in 24.2 the equations will be there. However, if you open the file in 24.8, the formulas won't be there.

Setting this to NEW.
Comment 4 Rafael Lima 2024-11-29 12:00:20 UTC
@Mike, what is your opinion about this?
Comment 5 Mike Kaganski 2024-11-29 12:21:53 UTC
(In reply to Rafael Lima from comment #4)
> @Mike, what is your opinion about this?

Sorry, can't reply other than quoting 7cfff4751befd678b3db4b6f16b020d38f4e9c32:

> Until we support the correct inline formulas, their import fails badly
> in Impress, because we completely lose them in boxes with other content,
> and even where they are the sole content, they stretch to the size of
> the box incorrectly.
> ...
> This change switches to Fallback graphic, losing the option to edit
> standalone imported formulas, but instead, allowing to see the formulas
> as they were created in PowerPoint.
Comment 6 Rafael Lima 2024-11-29 12:33:40 UTC
(In reply to Mike Kaganski from comment #5)
> (In reply to Rafael Lima from comment #4)
> > @Mike, what is your opinion about this?
> 
> Sorry, can't reply other than quoting
> 7cfff4751befd678b3db4b6f16b020d38f4e9c32:

But here the issue seems to be a bit different... it seems to be about exporting the PPTX.

The user created the file in Impress, added equations and exported it as PPTX. Then these equations are not imported into LibreOffice when the PPTX file is opened in LibreOffice again, not even as images.
Comment 7 Mike Kaganski 2024-11-29 12:59:57 UTC
You are correct. Since v.5.2, when the export was implemented, the fallback wasn't written. We need to implement it.
Comment 8 Mike Kaganski 2024-11-29 20:22:45 UTC
https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/c/core/+/177564
Comment 9 Commit Notification 2024-11-30 07:41:13 UTC
Mike Kaganski committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "master":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit/5a42e163cd5c6427fe46d19b43a57cb09b57cc14

tdf#163483: implement export of Math formula's fallback image to PPTX

It will be available in 25.2.0.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Testing_Daily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Comment 10 Mike Kaganski 2024-11-30 07:43:01 UTC
Note that existing PPTX created in LibreOffice lack the fallback image; their import will not change. The fix only changes export, so that new PPTX contain the image, which can be re-imported later.
Comment 11 Commit Notification 2024-12-02 09:58:31 UTC
Mike Kaganski committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "libreoffice-24-8":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit/e425b6e0d270b1a315dfecc1ec6571bd5c7a6b52

tdf#163483: implement export of Math formula's fallback image to PPTX

It will be available in 24.8.5.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Testing_Daily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Comment 12 Commit Notification 2024-12-12 15:41:18 UTC
Mike Kaganski committed a patch related to this issue.
It has been pushed to "libreoffice-24-8-4":

https://git.libreoffice.org/core/commit/a77747d763d9e21469d1a55e1d9f1e5d62acf017

tdf#163483: implement export of Math formula's fallback image to PPTX

It will be available in 24.8.4.

The patch should be included in the daily builds available at
https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/ in the next 24-48 hours. More
information about daily builds can be found at:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Testing_Daily_Builds

Affected users are encouraged to test the fix and report feedback.
Comment 13 Andy 2024-12-13 12:12:39 UTC
Hi, LO 2.8.4.1 does not have the problem solved.
Probably it will be in a future release 2.8.4.x with x>1?
Comment 14 Mike Kaganski 2024-12-13 13:42:53 UTC
Checking https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/pre-releases/, or clicking "Info" link at https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download-libreoffice/?version=24.8.4, it is easy to see the date: 2024-11-30.

Looking at comment 12, notifying about the merging of the fix to 24-8-4 branch, it's equally easy to see the date: 2024-12-12.

Then, it is easy to see, that a program created in November is unlikely to contain a fix merged in December.
Comment 15 Andy 2024-12-30 17:25:31 UTC
I am sorry for having overlooked the chronology of releases and patches.
Now I am experimenting with 25.2.0.1 andI suppose the patch should be there...
However, I still experience problems. Please have a look at the "video 1" attach to check what is happening. the file used in the video "sample slide original odp 24-2.odp" is also attached.
Comment 16 Andy 2024-12-30 17:26:12 UTC
Created attachment 198329 [details]
THe single slide file used in the video which is the following attachment
Comment 17 Andy 2024-12-30 17:39:04 UTC
Created attachment 198330 [details]
Video showing corruption due to 25.2 version that were not present using 24.2
Comment 18 Andy 2024-12-30 17:49:28 UTC
Since my spoken English is awful, I will summarize what is shown in real time in the video if you do not understand everything:
1) I open the sample slide file with 24.2 and save it into pptx.
2) again with 24.2 I reopen the pptx export: formula are correctly formatted and can be edited
3) I now switch to using 25.2, open the pptx file created with 24.2 and do not see formulas anymore. This is bad but perhaps was indicated that the patch did not allow this (I am not sure I understand this comment correctly)
4) again using 25.2, I open the original odp file, and save it into pptx with 25.2
5) I open the newly created pptx (always in 25.2) and try to double click on any formulas to edit it: this is not possible anymore; formulas cam be seen but they are not editable anymore (as instead they were when using 24.2)
6) always using 25.2, I open the original odp file created with 24.2 and double click on some formulas to edit them. As you can see, some of them get visually corrupted when opened for editing.
That is all you can see in the video.
Thanks for the attention!
Comment 19 V Stuart Foote 2024-12-31 22:33:57 UTC
(In reply to Andy from comment #18)
> Since my spoken English is awful, I will summarize what is shown in real
> time in the video if you do not understand everything:
> 1) I open the sample slide file with 24.2 and save it into pptx.
> 2) again with 24.2 I reopen the pptx export: formula are correctly formatted
> and can be edited
> 3) I now switch to using 25.2, open the pptx file created with 24.2 and do
> not see formulas anymore. This is bad but perhaps was indicated that the
> patch did not allow this (I am not sure I understand this comment correctly)
> 4) again using 25.2, I open the original odp file, and save it into pptx
> with 25.2
> 5) I open the newly created pptx (always in 25.2) and try to double click on
> any formulas to edit it: this is not possible anymore; formulas cam be seen
> but they are not editable anymore (as instead they were when using 24.2)
> 6) always using 25.2, I open the original odp file created with 24.2 and
> double click on some formulas to edit them. As you can see, some of them get
> visually corrupted when opened for editing.
> That is all you can see in the video.
> Thanks for the attention!

See comment 10, beleive this is expected behavior now. The image of the formula is a fixed image from 24.8.4, and the formula is *no longer editable* in a OOXML .pptx saved presentation.
Comment 20 Andy 2025-01-02 12:16:21 UTC
Well I am sorry to go on bothering, but if this is true, IMHO this is a significant regression from 24.2, where full interoperability with formulas between .odp and .pptx formats was present and worked perfectly.
Comment 21 Andy 2025-01-04 12:16:05 UTC
(In reply to Andy from comment #20)
> Well I am sorry to go on bothering, but if this is true, IMHO this is a
> significant regression from 24.2, where full interoperability with formulas
> between .odp and .pptx formats was present and worked perfectly.

So what is the reason that prevents restoring the formulas interoperability in ODP/PPTX conversions that was there in 24.2?
At the moment I am stuck with this old release since the ability to exchange formulas in slides with people using Powerpoint is important to me. And to some other folks I think, although it is not a need for a large majority. Thanks as always