Bug 168680 - CALC UI -- User defined document properties in Calc cannot be inserted into a calc spreadsheet
Summary: CALC UI -- User defined document properties in Calc cannot be inserted into a...
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Calc (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
unspecified
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: Calc-Enhancements
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Reported: 2025-10-03 18:58 UTC by vanndemonium
Modified: 2026-01-21 18:46 UTC (History)
1 user (show)

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Description vanndemonium 2025-10-03 18:58:07 UTC
Description:
If you are in Calc, and you provide custom document properties, they cannot be used like they can in the Writer application.

In Writer, after the property fields have been defined, they can be inserted into the document as a quick text for a field that needs to be updated throughout the document. We use this with templates to make sure the user updates all necessary fields in the document as the document properties dialog launches on save.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Open File --> Properties, in Calc
2. Define a new custom document property
3. click on an empty cell, hit F2, right-click, go to "insert Field" then there are several options, but the custom document property is not there.

Actual Results:
Only "Date, Time, Date, Sheet Name, and Document Title appear on the "Insert Field" menu. User-defined properties never appear.

Expected Results:
Maybe there could be an "other Fields" dialog that opens to allow you to select which user-defined document field to insert, or just list all the user defined properties as extra rows on that submenu.


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: Yes

Additional Info:
It is difficult to make a spreadsheet template that makes the user update all the information we want them to without this feature. 

I realize Calc can link cells so this feels like a dumb feature, but the custom/user-defined document properties do nothing otherwise, and without this feature, the user often forgets to change fields that must be changed. We have several people using LibreOffice and we have them trained to edit the document properties when making a writer document (thus making sure we have the customer's correct information on saving the template into a new document). Without the document properties populating cells, the user must scan the document for placeholder text that we put in the template. It is embarassing when the placeholder text goes out in the real world and even worse when the placeholder text should have contained the information necessary to contact the customer agian.

Even the LibreOffice help file references that a 'more fields' link should be at the end of the insert-->fields submenu.
Comment 1 m_a_riosv 2025-10-03 22:14:23 UTC
I think this was already reported, but I can't find it.

+1
Comment 2 Buovjaga 2026-01-21 18:46:03 UTC
Ok, let's set to NEW and enhancement. Found a related one, but for header/footer.