A nice feature for defining default settings for a new user is the folder %ProgramFiles%\LibreOffice 4\presets. When LibreOffice is started for the first time, the contents of this folder are copied to %appdata%\Libreoffice\4\user if that folder doesn’t already exist. (This also works with at least some versions of 3.x). So at installation time, IT can customize standardized settings to be distributed to their users. HOWEVER, the main source of LibreOffice settings is in the file registrymodifications.xcu, and for some reason if you put a customized registrymodifications.xcu file in the presets folder it IS NOT copied along with all of the other files. (I’m assuming that LibreOffice already has opened an empty one before the folder is copied over, and so it can’t overwrite the essentially blank one).
Information about pre-configuring LibreOffice user settings is very scarce, but it seems like a general consensus is to write a script to store a customized registrymodification.xcu settings file somewhere, and then copy it into a users profile before starting LibreOffice. Since that mechanism is already there conceptually with the presets folder, I’m surprised I haven’t seen any discussion about why presets works with everything except this all important file! I suggest that the presets code should be modified to allow this file either to be copied first (before starting the blank one) or else merging the two together.
Side note: My preferred method so far of customizing settings is to modify the system defaults in %ProgramFiles%\LibreOffice 4\share\registry\*.xcd files. That has worked well for windows installs since I control when upgrades occur, and simply run the xmlstarlet script after every upgrade to re-apply my customizations (because every upgrade replaces all of the share\registry\*.xcd files). See http://itconnect.info/forum/topics/libreoffice-settings-to-change-from-the-defaults/ for more details and the script.
However, with Linux I’m leaning towards letting the OS handle upgrades (since that is much more in fitting with Linux package management mentality) and thus I need a different method of ensuring that the settings default properly for each user. The PRESETS folder seems like it would be ideal as the alternative method if it fully worked. I’ve only seen vague references to another alternative - using extensions to manage setting changes. However, identifying and creating the correct settings files sounds very complicated to me - much harder than simply copying an entire registrymodifications.xcu file.
I haven’t tested the presets folder yet to see if it is also replaced during an upgrade. I hope it isn’t - otherwise I’ll have the same problem that I already have with changing the system defaults…
Justin