Bug 35937 - Mailmerge makes LibreOffice crash if the master documents contains formulas
Summary: Mailmerge makes LibreOffice crash if the master documents contains formulas
Status: CLOSED FIXED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
3.3.2 release
Hardware: x86 (IA32) All
: high critical
Assignee: Caolán McNamara
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks: 34184
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2011-04-03 14:08 UTC by ralf
Modified: 2013-11-15 10:36 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
Sample Mailmerge master document to reproduce the error (12.42 KB, application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text)
2011-04-04 08:14 UTC, ralf
Details
PDF of mailmerge document plus screenshots (115.30 KB, application/pdf)
2011-04-04 08:19 UTC, ralf
Details
sample address list, sufficient for testing (crash even without using fields) (291 bytes, text/csv)
2011-04-04 08:20 UTC, ralf
Details
Even more detailed instructions (3 pages with 5 English screenshots) (217.59 KB, application/pdf)
2011-04-04 08:37 UTC, ralf
Details

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Description ralf 2011-04-03 14:08:01 UTC
This is not my first mailmerge document. I am trying to make LibreOffice to create 25 pages of students' assessments including solutions (math formulas).

During the past hour, I reduced the master document step by step, and also reduced the "address" list to a text only table (w/o) formulas. 

But when trying to complete the job, LO crashes with no message!

Now, the only reason I could think of, is math formulas included...

And right, after removing the solutions part with formuals, the mail merge runs through!

BTW: same behaviour with Openoffice 3.2!
Comment 1 ralf 2011-04-03 14:17:38 UTC
My workaround for now:

Export solutions (formula incl.) as PDF page, open with GIMP, crop & save as Image. Then insert that (part of the) page as image and it will get printed on each page.
Comment 2 ralf 2011-04-03 14:25:02 UTC
I have to add some further issue here:
After creating the merged document, page counter counted 50 (instead of 25) pages, always skipping a page when scrolling down (like: 1/50 ... 3/50 ...).

Hence, I exported to PDF before printing, but the PDF file had the correct set of 25 pages (indicating mis-counting on behalf of LibreOffice).
Comment 3 Rainer Bielefeld Retired 2011-04-03 23:31:21 UTC
NOT reproducible with a sample document simply containing a small forumula and Mail Merge Wizard. "LibreOffice 3.3.2  – WIN7  Home Premium  (64bit) German UI [OOO330m19 (Build:202 / tag 3.3.2.2)]"

@ralf@skolelinux.de:
Please excuse me, but your report contains lots of information except the required one, even OS information and such important detail whether you use Print dialog or Mail Merge Wizard is missing.

May I ask you to read  hints on <http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/BugReport> carefully?
Then please:
- Attach a sample document 
- Attach screenshots with comments (you can add information using LibO DRAW
  and then attach your screenshot with comments as PDF) if necessary
- Contribute a step by step instruction containing every key press and every 
  mouse click how to reproduce your problem
- add information 
  -- what exactly is unexpected
  -- and why do you believe it's unexpected
  -- concerning your PC 
  -- concerning your OS (exact version / distribution for Linux)
  -- concerning your LibO localization (UI language)
  –- Libo settings that might be related to your problems 
  -- how you launch LibO
  -- everything else crossing your mind after you read a.m. URL

Can you please file Bug reports with status UNCONFIRMED if your are not absolutely sure that you contributed all required background information and that the problem will be reproducible with information you can provide? 

Thank you!
Comment 4 ralf 2011-04-04 08:09:06 UTC
Dear Rainer Bielefeld (funny, that's where I live),

thanks for trying - and for your feedback. I found some further time to 
reproduce the bug step by step - and will attach all needed files:

1. Start MailMerge Assistent from Menu (Screenshot 1)
a) Step 1: use current document (ok)
b) Step 2: file type: letter (ok)
c) Step 3.1: select address list (button)
d) enter two addresses (Mr. & Ms. Cox), 
e) save this table as "adresses.csv" (screenshot 2)
f) Step 4: no personal greeting formula
g) Step 6: Switch to "Edit document" (Dokument bearbeiten, screenshot 3)

2. Now add formula „-2,5 over sqrt x -42x^5“  , close button to return to the assistent, 

3. Preview (within Step 6 of assistent) works fine (browsing your addresses gives a preview).
4. Step 7 (create individual document) makes Libre Office crash w/o any feedback 
	(all windows are closed).

I also added missing info, maybe this is a linux only issue.
Comment 5 ralf 2011-04-04 08:14:15 UTC
Created attachment 45224 [details]
Sample Mailmerge master document to reproduce the error

You can follow instructions here step by step, or you can use the adresses.csv directly as attached.
Comment 6 ralf 2011-04-04 08:19:43 UTC
Created attachment 45225 [details]
PDF of mailmerge document plus screenshots

BTW: Another minor usability flaw: In print preview, the mail merge assistant menu entry is enabled but dysfunctional...
Comment 7 ralf 2011-04-04 08:20:51 UTC
Created attachment 45226 [details]
sample address list, sufficient for testing (crash even without using fields)
Comment 8 ralf 2011-04-04 08:37:38 UTC
Created attachment 45227 [details]
Even more detailed instructions (3 pages with 5 English screenshots)

LibreOffice 3.3.0 
OOO330m19 (Build:6)
tag libreoffice-3.3.0.4
Comment 9 ralf 2011-04-04 08:38:37 UTC
Comment on attachment 45225 [details]
PDF of mailmerge document plus screenshots

BTW: Another minor usability flaw: In print preview, the mail merge assistant
menu entry is enabled but dysfunctional...
Comment 10 Rainer Bielefeld Retired 2011-04-24 11:02:01 UTC
[Reproducible] with reporter's sample document "mailmergecrash.odt" and "LibreOffice 3.4Beta2  – WIN7  Home Premium  (64bit) German UI [DEV300m103 (Build:1)]"

This one blocks:
Bug 34184 - [Task]: Make E-mail MAILMEGE usable

@ralf:
Can you please try to reproduce 
"Bug 35404 - Particular documents crash during e-mail mail merge"?
May be we have a more general problem "document with particular OLE objects crashes".

@Caolán:
Can you also help here?
Comment 11 Caolán McNamara 2011-05-01 03:40:33 UTC
I'm on vacation at the moment, sounds like a generic crash triggered by mailmerge
Comment 12 Caolán McNamara 2011-05-25 05:29:53 UTC
Thanks on this very-well reported bug, the trick is the ole object. Its copied into a temp doc, and that triggers some real nastiness when the temp doc is cleared.

http://cgit.freedesktop.org/libreoffice/writer/commit/?id=fb5c25294efd2ef9138df61e82cd438ff07f4bf1

Fixed on master, and cherry-picked to 3-4 for LibreOffice 3.4.1
Comment 13 Rainer Bielefeld Retired 2011-05-25 06:25:30 UTC
@Caolán:
Did you already check whether 
"Bug 35404 - Particular documents crash during e-mail mail merge"
has been fixed, too?
There the problem is caused by DRAW objects.
Comment 14 Caolán McNamara 2011-06-07 07:22:37 UTC
@Rainer, re #35404 I can't reproduce that one on master.
Comment 15 Rainer Bielefeld Retired 2011-06-07 08:43:36 UTC
@Caolán:
So I will Verify with 3.4.1
Comment 16 Roman Eisele 2012-05-07 10:00:38 UTC
This is (at least at the surface) a Writer issue, therefore changed the 'Component' field accordingly; cf. the related bug 35404 which also has Component = Writer.