File management

[harlthom]

Why do software companies feel it is necessary to update their products, even when it means that the newer version is less user-friendly than the old?

Since its conception LibreOffice has used a file management interface which was similar to all other programs that operate in the Microsoft Windows environment – an interface that is similar to Microft’s own Windows Explorer. This interface is simple to use and understood by all. It allows easy access to all files in the users system, wherever they are stored – harddisk, cloud-storage, optical disk, etc.

The new interface recently introduced by LibreOffice is extremely difficult to understand and presupposes that the user only stores their files in one location, C:/Users/UserName/Documents. If you want to save to some other location, you need to open the Settings and create a new path – a process that even LibreOffice admits needs an understanding of file management systems.

Why change from an interface that was simple to understand and use and force the user to learn a new and completely unnecessary process.

I have uninstalled LibreOffice from all my computers and changed to another Office-package that offers a system that I can use and advise all my friends and acquaintences to do the same.

[JohnSUN]

@harlthom

I have uninstalled LibreOffice from all my computers and changed to another Office-package that offers a system that I can use and advise all my friends and acquaintences to do the same.

I sincerely congratulate you on this achievement! Bon Voyage!

[ajlittoz]

Complaining is something but give facts so that we can compare and understand.

@harlthom

The new interface recently introduced by LibreOffice

Which interface? Share a screenshot. Please mention LO version.

By chance, have you ticked Tools>Options, LibreOffice>General, Open/Save Dialogs Use LO dialogs? If not, LO uses your OS dialogs.

[JohnSUN]

@ajlittoz I think you won’t get an answer - he didn’t answer the clarifying question last time, most likely he will ignore your question this time. And yes, I’m almost sure that you’re right about Use LO dialogs, but he won’t know that anymore because he’s removed LibreOffice from all his computers.

[ajlittoz]

Yep, his last question is December 2017 and he never dared to clarify. He’s perhaps the kind of guy thinking we can fix issues telepathically once he has asked. Everything is implictly obvious in his mind, so this should be for ourselves. Shame.

[EarnestAl]

As you are back with the OS dialogue box, this is for info for anyone else finding this page and wanting to use the LibreOffice dialogue box for saving and opening.

@harlthom

presupposes that the user only stores their files in one location, C:/Users/UserName/Documents

There is a button to add current folder to the shortcut window, possibly simpler than Windows own methods of adding locations

@harlthom

a process that even LibreOffice admits needs an understanding of file management systems.

If file management is not understood, then it is best to keep to the one folder that the operating system says is the one in which to store documents; this is safe for novices. A very basic explanation of file management is also given on the wiki site, File management - The Document Foundation Wiki

[harlthom]

This is the interface for Open File and it is similar for Insert file or Save As.
This from LO 7.5.9

[harlthom]

Please compare to LO 6.3.3.2 which looks like this:

[mariosv]

Have you read the last sentence of @ajlittoz comment:

@ajlittoz

By chance, have you ticked Tools>Options, LibreOffice>General, Open/Save Dialogs Use LO dialogs? If not, LO uses your OS dialogs.

[harlthom]

Thank you for that reply. It works when I untick the box for "Open/Save Dialogue Boxes.
But that still leaves the questions: Why is this necessary? Why not make this information easily available to those of us who are not complete computer nerds?
If I remember correctly, my question in 2017 was why LO had changed the icons for the various menues. The answer then was that I had to go into the settings and change the icon set to another. Again, my question is why this was necessary.

[ajlittoz]

Your three most recent posts here are not solutions to your initial question and should not have been posted as Answers. There are also on this site etiquette and rules to be useful to the largest community. Any post needed to clarify, explain, argument, request further information must go into Comments. Only solutions go into Answers. This is because the Discourse engine (under the site hood) freely reorders Answers according to relevance. Consequently, chronological order of Answers is lost which makes understanding of contents very difficult when rules are broken. Only Comments are close to “traditional” forum conversations (creation order is kept).

Only you know which customisation has been made on your LO copy. As far as I know, this setting comes unticked “from the factory”. Once you change something, it is kept in your user profile. On my side, I never touched the setting and LO always worked perfectly.

I am not familiar with Window$. What are these Version fields in the dialogs? Is this a specific feature in this OS?

[harlthom]

I apologise if I have been posting my replies in the wrong place. I could not find the reply button.
You say that only I know the customisations that have been made. I dont know what cusomisations have been made either. I download a new version of LO from the site: sv.libreoffice.com when I feel there is a need to update and naively expectit to run as former versions have run. Is this too much to expect?

[ajlittoz]

As long as your user profile is not corrupted, things should go smoothly. I have not reset my user profile for at least a decade, despite many OS updates and reconfigurations, not speaking of LO upgrades. But, according to the frequency of similar questions here, Window$ tends to corrupt user profile for unknown reasons. So saving your user profile as you seem to do routinely is a good fail-safe measure.

For details about your specific problem, I can’t tell. There are virtually as many different LO configurations as users. So, a detailed knowledge of yours is necessary to guide you beyond generic advice.

[harlthom]

Thank you for your help. I will soldier on and hope that I do not need your help again in the near future.

[Wanderer]

@harlthom

Again, my question is why this was necessary

If you wish to avoid changes, try OpenOffice.
.
LibreOffice was forked from OpenOffice, because there was no change expected. So, if you use LibreOffice, expect change.
Choose your priority.
.
By the way: I guess it is not necessary for you to use the latest version…

[harlthom]

Thanks for your input. Yes, I have already come to that conclusion and have installed OpenOffice on all my computers.

[EarnestAl]

Note that the issue you encountered is unrelated to LibreOffice updates, they don’t change your user profile where your preferences are stored.
The choice of OS or LO dialogues is available to OpenOffice too, Using the Open and Save As dialogs - Apache OpenOffice Wiki