Please not that my understanding of the problem has changed since the original post.
I have a random problem with comment boxes in Calc. My Calc workbook is a medium sized spreadsheet with about 15 sheets. On one of the sheets I created a comment box which was fine. When I went to edit it later the comment box disappeared off the sheet with an arrow pointing to it. I could only get to the comment by scrolling down several hundred rows.
I often do edit the size of the comment, but the sudden displacement of the comment has not been associated with that in the past. The two things that have triggered it were trying to move its position using the mouse by even a few columns or rows. And using the cell context menu to edit a comment that was already showing and the comment flew off the top and bottom of the screen. I do not get a chance to edit/select the text in the box.
*Is there any way to recover the text in the comment box? * I have now managed to find comment by scrolling down far enough and can move the comment back. Having understood that I can use position and size on the context I can confirm that I have never used that dialog in this context before. It is also a much easier way of moving the comment box over several hundred rows by using the mouse.
It does not explain why the comment box occasionally randomly suddenly repositions itself by a large number of rows and columns if you try and edit it or move it.
I have had several instances of this in the past. Sometimes it goes down off the bottom, sometimes it will go off the top. Sometimes if you close the workbook and reopen it the comment will go back into its original position. But go to edit or move the comment box and it will fly off the sheet again.
Normally once a comment box seems to have this behaviour the only way forward is to delete the comment and recreate it. In other words if I do find it and reposition it, then as soon as I say move it again it displace itself by many rows.
In hiding many of the open comment boxes, I had another manifestation of the problem. One of the other comment boxes moved vertically up from M183 (top left of comment box) to F127 and the arrow now went from the comment box at an angle from ~F127 to top left corner of A1, even though the comment belonged to K205. I opened and closed the worksheet and this time the comment stayed in its incorrect position, but the arrow went to K205.
I wonder whether the number of comments open was significant; I had probably about 30 comments shown.
The files are stored .ODS format. The version of Libre Office is 7.0.4.2(x64). I am running it on Windows 10 Home Build 19041, though the problem has been around for a few months, but seems to have got worse recently.
I cannot find the issue online. Is this a known problem?