LibreWriter Malfunction? [Formatting toolbar "disappears" when selecting an area of the document]

[DavidDeBord]

Greetings,

While using LibreOffice Writer, over the past 48 hours, when working on a Document, it starts up, as normal, with the bottom row of Paragraph style, Font Name, Font Size, Bold, Italics, Underline, Font Color etc, all showing
When I attempt to Highlight part of the Document, the Desired Bottom Row (Formatting Tool Bar),disappears, & is by replaced “Forward One”, “To background”, “Border Color”,“Filter”, “Flip Vertically” etc.
And when I try to “Highlight” an area of My Document, a “Cross with Arrows at it’s tips” appears!

Operating Libre Writer in Safe Mode, did enable me to Highlight part of what I wanted, but, that took several attempts for by clicking the “Bold Button”, caused the Document to jump back to it’s beginning.

My PC application is Windows 10

How can I restore Libre Document back to the Configuration that I’ve successfully used countless times, up to Today?

[ajlittoz]

The toolbar is somehow context-sensitive and adapts itself to the selected object. Are you sure you selected text and not some other object like a table, an image, … ?

Please attach a sample file and mention your LO version (exact number, not “latest” as it is dependent on the platform) and save format (though, will be apparent with the sample file).

[Wanderer]

@DavidDeBord

How can I restore Libre Document back to the Configuration that I’ve successfully used countless times

You can restore the User Profile to its original version after install same as safe mode) by resetting your profile.
Returning to a “working config” is only possible, if you have a backup of your files. Sadly Microsoft decided to hide this kind of data in a hidden folder, wich can be reached below %APPDATA%
.
Berfore you attempt to reset your current profile, save/backup it, or use rename instead of remove.

[EarnestAl]

It really sounds as if the text you are trying to highlight is, in fact, an image of text. When you click on it do you see 8 handles around the edge of a block of “text”? The four way arrow appears when you try to move an image.

If you install Microsoft Power Toys then you can OCR the image by pressing Win+Shift+T by leveraging Windows in-built OCR capabilities

[DavidDeBord]

Greetings ajlittoz, Wanderer, & EarnestAJ,

Thank You All for replying!

I’ve been using LIbreOffice for my Work, with Documents, & Contracts, as well as my research for many, many years, & this has never happened before.

My Version of LibreOffice is 7.2

1.) I’m Absolutely Positive that I’m selecting Text, & not a table etc.

2.) I’m posting a before, & after “snip” of the Document below.

A.)

b.)

The only way that I was able to “re-set” LIbre, so as to bring back the “Format Bar” was to close the Document.

C.) here is the Text, that I was able to High-lite in Safe Mode:

Wanderer, which “Original version” would that be? Would that be 7.2, or an older version? The reason that I’m asking is because I tried to revert to the earlier version, but it was not available. Regarding the “Backing up of Files”, are you referring to every single document that I’ve produced via LIbre?

EarnestAJ, I Copied & Pasted a training document to my desktop, & then set out to highlight important text items within the document. Matter of fact,… Here’s the Document: ,… Uhhh Your Site states that the File is to big, sorry.

And No Sir,… I do not see " 8 handles around the edge of a block of “text”,… I clearly see what I’m calling a “Cross”, with arrow points at the four ends of that “cross”. In Fact, when I try to Highlight, not only does that “Cross” appear but also a border appears to both sides of the document, when I release the Mouse Cursor, the “Cross”, & “Border lines” disappear.

I’m not going to install Microsoft Power Toys, in fact it is many difficulties, as well a Microsoft’s invasiveness that brought me to LIbre.

[ajlittoz]

A lot of interesting clues are missing in your screenshots because you didn’t enable View>Formatting Marks. In shot C, there are two small white squares suggesting this is not a text flow but either an image or a frame. The bottom toolbar is clearly one intended for Drawing Objects. Please attach a sample file reduced to this page and the surrounding ones.