Ubuntu Wiki

• Launchpad Entry: https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+spec/openoffice-gnome

• Created: 20051101 by MatthiasKlose

• Contributors: JamesHenstridge

• Packages affected: openoffice.org

Summary

OpenOffice.org probably could better integrate into Gnome (and KDE). Users do see slightly differences in the OOo UI, which are not consistent with the Gnome look and feel. The "specification" currently lists some of these issues and points to upstream issues, or to further work, which needs to be done for testing, if the behaviour still exists with current OpenOffice.org versions.

Rationale

Although OOo does have some integration for the gnome desktop, there are issues/details, where users can clearly see, that OOo doesn't behave like a Gnome application. Polishing these issues makes up a better user experience for users.

Use cases

The use cases are mostly taken from bug reports filed against the OOo packages.

• Copying/Pasting (selection isn't kept when OOo is closed).
• Starting up OOo steals the focus, ignoring the selection of another focus/window
• Font hinting isn't triggered by the Gnome defaults
• Using the Gnome "My defaults" isn't supported: OOo uses its own settings.
• Current packages use the OOo file selector, not the Gnome one.
• Activate Accessibility Features

• OpenDocument files contain thumbnails, use them with a Gnome thumbnailer

• Add documents under the "Create Document" contextmenu - http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=76419

• Add a context menu option "Print Document" - http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=91377&highlight=tb (Post 6)

Upstream issues

• Copying/Pasting (selection isn't kept when OOo is closed).
  • gtk-2.8 offers support to handle this. needs integration with gnome clipboard manager

  • upstream http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=57165

• Starting up OOo steals the focus, ignoring the selection of another focus/window

  • upstream http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=49426

• Font hinting isn't triggered by the Gnome defaults

  • upstream http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=46020

• Using the Gnome "My defaults" isn't supported, OOo uses its own settings.

  • In OOo, the data is kept in an XML preferences file, which needs to be initialized from Gnome / updated from Gnome (?). KDE has similiar user settings. OpenOffice should initialize and update that information from Gnome, decide on changes beeing made in OOo beeing propagated back to Gnome. Needs checking if such a patch already exists and/or a patch in OOo in the gnome and kde bindings. It may be possible to extend http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=50817

Implementation

Implement/activate the low hanging fruit:

• File selector: Enable it by default, when testing succeeds for smb shares, filenames with UTF-8 characters, else leave it disabled and have the user to enable it by default.

• Thumbnailer already exists in python http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=76566 (read the whole thread the code evolved)

Outstanding issues

• Current packages use the OOo file selector, not the Gnome one.
  • Was deactivated, because it has problems with smb mounts. However can be activated by the user in the preferences.
  • Needs checking before enabling it as a default
• Activate Accessibility Features
  • Java stuff -- checking what needs to be done is still needed.
• Some sub-tasks might be identified, which could be subject to a bounty. How do we estimate the effort required?

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