Formulae turning irretrievably into object boxes

[KFT1]

I am writing a document containing formulae. I like(d) drafting technical documents using LibreOffice because you can see it all. Anyway, after several formula entries with the equations appearing in the document as desired, the next one appears as an object box. Going through the view and toolbars I can flick all the other equations between equations and icons, but the offending one remains an object box. The view option has no effect. I just keep getting the object box. After that transition, all equations appear as object boxes, and only the original equations can be flipped using the view option.

I think this is a bug, not an option selection issue.

Version: 4.3.7.2
Operating System: Scientific Linux Version 6 (LibreOffice was part of the package)
This is a Red Hat derivative.
Document files are being saves as .odt. I have used .doc and .docx as needed but this problem report pertains to problems with documents saved as .odt.

I use the the TeX-like equation editor built into the program. I really like it

Balloon.odt

I copied a formula and it turned into an object (Object 7)

Thanks guys for the help. For WYSIWYG document preparation this is a great program and I really don’t want to be forced back to Word. LaTeX is best for production but not for seeing what you do while you are doing it.

Yes. I know they are inserted as OLE Objects. What I am getting is that I am happily typing a document with all the formulae grinning at me, and then the next formula I do appears as an object icon and not as a visible equation. It can still be edited etc. because it appears in the edit window. However I cannot make it visible as a formula in the document. I can use the view tools to flip all the other formulae between visible formulae and boxes, but the one that first showed the problem remains a box whatever I do.The one that I added “nothing” to, as an example, remains a box no matter what I do.

(edited by ajlittoz to fix image display)

I want to make sure I completely understand your question above.

What I am doing is

View, and then Toolbars and then Tools and the using the flip icon.

There is nothing on my tools menus labelled “Images & Charts”. Am I going down the wrong tree. What do you mean by [x]

In addition, I have not changed anything and have been using this program for years and have never had this happen before until a couple of days. ago.

Thanks for that suggestion. I will research that one with a few experiments. Write is my text machine of choice. I must admit I tend to stick with what works and not upgrade until I need to. I guess that came from working with Microsoft Office, which evolves into a completely different a and weirder species every time anew version comes out.

File corruption sounds about right.

[anon73440385]

What is your LibreOffice version?
Which operating system do you use?
Which format do you save your documents to (.odt or something else. like .doc(x))
Could you provide a sample file, showing the artefact?

Please do **not** use *Add Answer* but **[edit](https://ask.libreoffice.org/t/formulae-turning-irretrievably-into-object-boxes/57677)** your original question to enhance the details of your question (answers are reserved for solutions to a problem on this Q&A site). Thanks in advance …

[ajlittoz]

Do you use the math equation editor (through Insert>Object>Formula in 4.x)? Or do you create the formula with Draw and paste it into Writer?

As @anon73440385 suggested, attach a sample file to your question.

[anon73440385]

I copied a formula and it turned into an object (Object 7)

All formulas are inserted as OLE objects - that’s normal and your sample file opens nicely on my system:

Are you sure that option `View -> [x] Images & Charts` is set?

[Lupp]

You are using V 4.3.7.2 (of 2015-04-22) and you suppose a bug.
Well, you won’t get fixed a bug in an old version. Bugs are fixed by patches for newer versions.
Therefore: Install a recent versioon of LibreOffice and check if the issue persists. If so, it’s supposed to be not a bug of LibO, but an issue of your environment, and you need to clear it up in this context. Otherwise your issue is fixed, and you may file it under “not understood, but gone”.

[Lupp]

After a more close look I wouldn’t assume a bug in a LibO version the file was made with. The formula objects are basically ok, and correctly interpreted with LibO V 7.0.1.2.
This is not about facts, but just a gues:
I would assume a vita of the document including a time probably living in a hostile file “format”, or once having been opened and saved with a hostile software.
The recent version of LibO my include code being able to re-adjust the slightly corrupted file, and older versions may not.
( I halso had a not reproducible case wher my LibO had opened the supplied example file, but arranged the views badly when I tried to edit a formula.)