Split file saves into separate parts for faster saving

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#1

i’m suggesting a feature to split up the calc/writer/libreoffice document into separate parts, so that it doesn’t have to rewrite the whole document on small modified parts of the file for large file support

i handle rather large calc documents, and saving often takes up to 30 seconds, when i’ve only modified a single cell in one worksheet

similarly, with writer documents, large files mean extremely long file save times, so could be split up into sections to only save the parts that have been modfied

can this be achieved without breaking the .odf file structure? can a ‘cheat’ be implemented that allows for backward compatiblity?

#2

Putting aside the “feature requests are off-topic”:

While the idea does not affect the ODF itself (it is possible to imagine a program that maps edited stuff to parts of original XML markup, and rewrites only that - and e.g. that’s what Svante Schubert, one of the authors of ODF toolkit, is a vocal proponent of), it is not (easily) possible in LibreOffice (well, ~everything is possible in software, given enough resources - but implementing this would mean re-writing most of the suite).

#3

i wasn’t aware feature requests were off-topic, my apologies - i’ll have to do something about my ‘split window, same document’ feature request

as for the odf format - yes, i’d imagine it would require a largely hefty rewrite of the software

in the mean time, i will see about splitting my calc file into separe files for each worksheet, but interacting between them is going to take extra effort

#4

Save time heavily depends on your formatting routine. Minimal times are achieved with “full styling” instead of direct formatting because shared formatting “patterns” are common factored, simultaneously reducing file size. Don’t neglect the value of character styles (instead of Ctrl+B for bold, and similar for other “decorations”). Because they don’t exist in Word, people tend not to use them.


From my experience, Writer can handle documents up to ~800-1000 pages without problems. Threshold is lower is you have many tables or pictures (frames).

If you really meet big performance issues, you might have a try to the master+sub-documents approach. But be aware that this implies other constraints to guarantee consistency across all documents. The safest solution is to base all documents and the master on the same template (.ott extension) where your styles are stored and absolutely ban the temptation to alter styles in any document. This must be done only in the common template.

#5

valuable advice, i may need to implement this - is there any documentation you can forward me to, to do the master+sub document approach, step by step?

#6

If you actually need the functionality of the complete document, you need to open it - and to save it after editing.

I very rarely used means of the kind myself, but:

If your workflow allows to use smaller separate documents concerning text/data serving as a kind of source for the general project, you can use

  • master documents (Writer)
  • linked-in sections (Writer)
  • linked OLE objects
  • external links to spreadsheets or ranges (Calc).

(Sorry, posts crossed.)

#7

The Help - Working with Master Documents and Subdocuments
Writers Guide - Chapter 16, Master Documents
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