Bug 168762 - CALC URL Link Button Properties could benefit from a little rationalisation
Summary: CALC URL Link Button Properties could benefit from a little rationalisation
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Documentation (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
25.8.1.1 release
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: HelpGaps-NewFeatures 126573
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2025-10-09 06:54 UTC by Colin
Modified: 2025-10-17 14:42 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Screen grab - needs to be viewed in conjunction with reading the definition (67.29 KB, image/png)
2025-10-09 06:56 UTC, Colin
Details

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Description Colin 2025-10-09 06:54:18 UTC
Description:
When a URL link button is created, its properties can then be modified by right-clicking the button when in Form Design Mode.

The initial display for the anchor property offers three choices  To Cell, To Cell (resize to cell) and To Page - with To Page being the default.

xxx Notice the absence of "Fit to Cell Size" in the first half of the attached image.

After selecting "To Cell (resize with cell)" a subsequent right-click of the button will present a panel as per the second half of the image.

xxx Notice the inclusion of "Fit to Cell Size".

Surely the inference when initially selecting "To Cell (resize with cell" is that the button should fit the cell.

Why not just present Fit to Cell Size in the initial panel, where the inference must also be that it is anchored to the cell to which it is fitted? Alternatively, if the option "To Cell (resize with cell)" is initially taken, then why not just fit it to the cell

I can't think of any logical reason why somebody would select "Fit to Cell Size" if they didn't want it anchored and fitted to its cell. Moving it in edit mode would simply move the link to this new cell location.

Three steps across two different processes simply to perform one task.

Why have I noticed, and why is it significant? I create at least one new URL button daily, with some sheets now holding four years' worth of links.

Steps to Reproduce:
Whilst viewing the attached .png
Create a URL link anywhere in any sheet and point it to any image anywhere on your computer
Enter form design mode - there are numerous form design or ribbon button routes to this function.
Right-click the button
Observe the display
Select "Anchor"
Select To Cell (resize with cell)
Right-click the button
Observe the display
Select Fit to Cell Size


Actual Results:
three process steps instead of one

Expected Results:
One process step instead of three


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No

Additional Info:
Version: 7.5.9.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: cdeefe45c17511d326101eed8008ac4092f278a9
CPU threads: 12; OS: Windows 10.0 Build 26100; UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: en-GB (en_GB); UI: en-GB
Calc: threaded
AND
Version: 25.8.1.1 (X86_64)
Build ID: 54047653041915e595ad4e45cccea684809c77b5
CPU threads: 4; OS: Windows 10 X86_64 (build 19045); UI render: Skia/Raster; VCL: win
Locale: sv-SE (en_SE); UI: en-GB
Calc: threaded
Comment 1 Colin 2025-10-09 06:56:15 UTC
Created attachment 203221 [details]
Screen grab - needs to be viewed in conjunction with reading the definition

Probably not worth reading the report if you're not going to look at the pictures ;)
Comment 2 Heiko Tietze 2025-10-14 13:18:52 UTC
Not only link buttons but any object like shapes, images, charts etc. can become anchored to a cell. You can size the object with the one-shot action "Fit to Cell Size" or stick it with the cell and scale it on row/col height/width changes. 

Does this explain the situation? Or do you think we need to rephrase/rearrange the UI controls?
Comment 3 Colin 2025-10-14 13:36:24 UTC
(In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #2)

> Does this explain the situation? Or do you think we need to
> rephrase/rearrange the UI controls?

I think "Fit to Cell Size" already implies that whatever the object may be, it is being anchored to and fitted into the cell.

If there is another scenario where an object is being anchored to a cell for purely positional purposes and then scales up or down with the sheet scaling, then it is probably a different animal.

I haven't experimented (I've never even used it), so I don't know whether anchoring to the sheet also scales the object when the sheet scaling is amended, nor whether it retains its "affinity" for the cell that was nearest/focused when the object was first created.
Comment 4 Heiko Tietze 2025-10-15 07:20:52 UTC
"Fit to Cell Size" was implemented for bug 116108, the anchor option for bug 114552 (see also https://help.libreoffice.org/25.8/en-US/text/shared/01/fit_to_cell.html).

I forward the ticket to the documentation team since the "Fit to Cell Size" action has no online help nor is mentioned on the anchor page.