Changed behaviour of Text Import dialogue box in Calc

English
#1

OS: EndeavourOS
LibreOffice version: 25.2.0.3

I find the Text Import dialogue box has had an infelicitous change.

In previouis versions, the Separator Options would default to the last used choice — "Fixed Width’ or ‘Separated by’ or ‘Detected (space)’, but now ignores user choice and always selects the least usable (IMO) option: ‘Detected (space)’. I cannot comprehend why this change was implemented.

Under Tools » Options I have looked in the following sections: LibreOffice, Load/Save, Languages and Locales, and LibreOffice Calc. I did not find any options to alter this (mis-)behaviour. I hope I’m missing something to which I can be steered.

Otherwise, I really, REALLY hope the developers will undo this change. Every day I import plain text to a Calc spreadsheet which now not only requires an extra step (changing the Separator Options) but remembering to make the change. And undoing that requires even more steps.

1 Like
#2

had it ?
ReleaseNotes/25.2 - The Document Foundation Wiki

seems a never ending topic : Any means of autoimporting CSV files into Calc?

#3

Yes, thousands of smart alecks have complained in the past why Calc does not automatically determine the correct text import parameters!
Now this has been implemented, and the first hero starts to complain about it

#4

My apologies — I’m not trying to be a ‘hero’. I’m also not trying to import a CSV file. Perhaps I should not have used the word ‘import’ but that is the name of the dialogue box. I’m simply doing a copy of text from elsewhere and trying to paste into Calc. For example, copying results of Wordle from the web page:

Wordle 1,345 2/6

will be spread across five columns: (1) Wordle, (2) 1, (3) 345, (4) 2, (5) 6.

For many years and many versions, the dialogue box would retain the user’s last choice of import. Now it always resorts to breaking the text at every possible space, comma, slash, etc.

At the very least, I’d like an option to turn off this ‘automatic detection’.

#5

Its technically the same Dialog!

Bug-requests ⇒ https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/enter_bug.cgi

#6

Should probably separate them, and move towards supporting setting defaults for importing specific files with a YAML config file. Could even have multiple defaults depending on specific conditions being met if a YAML config file is supported.

#7

Hi!
I observe the same behavior:
Importing plain text using “Paste Unformatted Text” results in getting the import dialog opening with preselected “Detected (space)” as Separator Options.

To me, it feels like using space as a separator for unformatted text is not a good choice.

Like the OP mentioned, Calc doesn’t remember the last choice the user made.
This means that each time I want to import unformatted text, I have to manually select “Separated by” instead of “Detected (space)”.

It would be nice if the autodetect would be optional, or at least if Calc would remember the last user choice (such as “Separated by”).

Best wishes,
Aline

#8

Bug 165744 - Text Import Dialog: remember separator option

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