LO v26.2 built-in help installation steps (for MacOS) are not compatible with the only available download

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#1

The LO built-in help is not offered as a dmg file. So the MacOS install instructions for built-in help (which is predicated on a downloaded dmg file) are not helpful.

At the download page for LO built-in help, the only available file is a tarball. That tarball extracts to (three) rpm packages. (Apparently rpm packages are intended for linux distributions.)

  • libobasis26.2-en-GB-26.2.2.2-2.x86_64.rpm
  • libreoffice26.2-dict-en-26.2.2.2-2.x86_64.rpm
  • libreoffice26.2-en-GB-26.2.2.2-2.x86_64.rpm

Whether or not one of those three rpm packages is useful to install alongside a MacOS installation of LO … ?
I really do not know!

Searching for an answer to that question is what lead me to this community help forum.

Apparently, checking the already installed language packs is done via the “user interface” dropdown. Under MacOS 13 the only way I have found to access this “user interface” dropdown is:
LibreOffice → Preferences… → Languages and Locales → General : under heading “Language Of” is the “User interface” dropdown box

It is not clear to me that this dropdown list has anything whatsoever to do with built-in help.

It would be very much appreciated if either:

  1. The built-in help instructions for MacOS was to describe how to use the rpm package.
  2. The download page provided a dmg file when MacOS is specified as the target OS.

Thank you for considering this request for clarification.

#2

I wiil start to cite an old post:

So you can use the various dmg-files provided in the archive for your x64 version 26.2.2.2
https://downloadarchive.documentfoundation.org/libreoffice/old/26.2.2.2/mac/x86_64/

#3

Why would one expect Redhat Package Manager (RPM) or DEB packages to install anything on macOS? At a push, a PKG file with appropriate privileges might be installable, but LO isn’t packaged in this format.
There was a short debate a while ago, which seems to have fizzled out, about whether the help should be bundled in the main installer, or continue to be provided in the langpacks.

The status quo lives on, or at least, so I understand.

#9

The download page doesn’t suggest to download RPM files packaged in a tgz file for Mac users. There is a selector about half way down the page which allows you to choose the type of processor your Mac has and then below that a link to download the corresponding help DMG file.

I would be the first to admit that the current presentation, compared to the previous download page is extremely unhelpful, confusing, and even misleading. As a seasoned Mac user of LO, the current download page is one of the worst user experiences that has ever been implemented IMHO. I have been caught out on a number of occasions already and it is quite frustrating.

If I choose MacOS Silicon (aarch64) for the main binary, I expect the link down the page to adapt automatically to that choice and not instead provide the Intel x86-64 help package (which refuses to install). I don’t expect to have to specifically choose the processor architecture again to obtain a correct download link. The previous download let you choose the architecture once, and then provided clear buttons on which to click to obtain the downloads. This new configuration is terrible.

1 Like
#4

I came here for the same reason as the original post, via the rpm package.
Then installing another downloaded (and apparently unnecessary) language pack.
The instructions on “Installing the Built-in Help” need to make it clearer that it is only for Ubuntu/Fedora and that it’s already in the .app

I have no idea how “file:///…” was supposed to help given it doesn’t reference any location for the help files?

Finally discovered the help files by right clicking the .app and “show package contents”.
file:///Applications/LibreOffice.app/Contents/Resources/help/index.html

which redirects to
file:///Applications/LibreOffice.app/Contents/Resources/help/en-US/text/shared/05/new_help.html

#5

It is not supposed to help you installing anything. If you look carefully you may detect it is part of another thread I linked here.
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The purpose is/was to help some users to detect they already use the local installed help instead of the version online: Both are identical, both open in the browser, but the local help will show file: instead of https: in the url. (Some expected a big visual change by installing local help.)

#6

I just wanted to know how to use local help files.
The official help could be changed to mention it’s already present in binaries, and your help could have been more specific.
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What is your reference to “file:///…” supposed to suggest?

Having to “Show Package Contents” on an .app to access specific content is not common practice.

#7

If you are using local help, the URL in your browser address bar will start with that string. Otherwise it will be something like
https://help.libreoffice.org/latest

#8

Be careful what you ask for. As you use a Mac a lot of stuff is not “common practice” but MacOS specific. Wait until you search Tools>Options in your Menu…

Obviously my post was specific for another person. If you find it useful ok, if not you can ask or learn something yourself.
(As I’m not related to TDF it is not “my” help.)
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If you think you can improve help I’m sure authors will appreciate this. IMHO Mac-Users are not the biggest group…

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