Losing Listbox Properties in Writer for fillable pdf form

martysip · April 24, 2024, 7:24pm

Yesterday, I spent lots of time in Writer creating (and testing) a form for (fillable) pdf. I saved the Writer version after each Listbox was created. I created about ten. Today, the contents of each list box is gone!
The boxes are there, each with the Name I assigned it, but the List Entries (filled yesterday) are now gone - empty box!
Why? Any way to retrieve them? What did I do wrong?

I also fear that something deeper might be wrong. Several times yesterday, and now again today, my LO screen went partially black, as in the attached screenshot. Should I be worried? I’m beyond frustrated at this point.

Thanks.

Wanderer · April 24, 2024, 9:26pm

If the screenshot shows you file, you didn’t save the Writer version, but translated from Writer to Word without testing, if the translation can be read back. On the next day (on loading the file) you asked to translate back to Writer and detected some loss.
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So try first to save as .odt! Then read this file back.

martysip · April 24, 2024, 9:31pm

Thanks so much. Your response makes sense.
I found .odt, made a change, saved it, closed the file, then reopened it and the change was still there! Yay!

But, as I did it, the screen still had the “black” thing going on. It eventually resolved, but do you know why that might be happening?
The attachment has no significance anymore. I was having trouble finding .odt, but eventually got it.

The “black” thing is as in the first screenshot.

Thanks again!

EarnestAl · April 30, 2024, 4:35am

I presume you have now allowed Windows to update (icon in taskbar) so the “black thing” might have resolved itself. I always stop what I am doing and allow Windows to update and restart as weird things can happen otherwise that take longer to resolve than just allowing the restart.

If the issue still exists, please click Help > About LibreOffice and click the icon next to version information to copy info to clipboard, paste in your question or a comment.

Wanderer · April 30, 2024, 5:52am

IMHO this happens when the “window manager” in the OS looses its representation of the contents of the window it uses to restore windows after overlap. Most programs don’t refresh the full window but only changed parts.
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You may try a quick resolve by minimizing and restoring the window or resizing it.
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To be prepared for worst cases: Remember Ctrl-S saves your file, Ctrl- to close the Window or Alt-F4 to close the program and it is always useful to have backups…