Top action bar in LibreCalc is missing. How to get it back?

Jim_HiTek · January 1, 2025, 7:24pm

LibreOffice 24.2 (Help version? Or entire suite version?)

Installed a completely new version of Ubuntu 24.04.1 a couple weeks ago and it installed the latest LibreOffice.

When I open any of the LO apps, they are all missing the top menu bar. With things like ‘File’, ‘Edit’, ‘View’…‘Help’. That menu bar is just not there making it very difficult to find actions I want to do, like ‘Find & Replace’. Or even ‘About’ so right at this point I don’t know what LO’s version is. It shows 24.2 in the help but is that for the entire suite? Or just help?

I am aware of the right click short cut to drop down the menus but I’m not a fan.

The Help from the main page is so extensive, seems to be several books thick, but I can’t find anything about restoring or setting the menu bar at the top in it.

Is there an ALT Key sequence I can use to get that top menu bar back?

skyandrews · January 1, 2025, 8:17pm

The LO layout manager controls menus. I have a short basic macro that restores menus with push button event:
Sub unHideMenu()
thisComponent.currentController.frame.layoutManager.visible = true
End sub
Assign to the execution event of a custom push button on sheet, save the sheet, and click the button.
Make the necessary menu changes and then the button and macro may be deleted. Otherwise you may have to reset the User profile: LibreOffice user profile - The Document Foundation Wiki

Jim_HiTek · January 1, 2025, 8:29pm

I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with your suggestion, skyandrews. Am I supposed to edit some LO config file? If so, which one? And having the name of the folder it’s in would help. As I mentioned, LO is on a Ubuntu machine so I am familiar with editing config files using terminal. Or is it some macro created inside LO Calc spreadsheet?

Thanks for answering my question. I just need a bit more guidance. I haven’t made a Macro for a spreadsheet in decades and without the menu bar and not finding ‘Tools’ anywhere you’ll have to guide me to how to create a macro in a Calc SS without a macro clickable start button.

skyandrews · January 1, 2025, 8:37pm

Jim,

It sounds like you will need to reset your LO user profile as described in the LO link of my previous post! It includes instructions for most OS versions so please refer to that resource directly… Alternitively I may post a prebuilt spreadsheet with appropriate macro for you! please wait…

LeroyG · January 1, 2025, 8:50pm

Have you fiddled with the User Interface? Groupedbar Compact has no menu. Sharing a screenshot could help.
You can test to Restart in Safe Mode to see if it is a user profile corruption problem.

skyandrews · January 1, 2025, 8:59pm

unHideMenu.ods (13.0 KB)

Just download and run this ods file, click the push button to run the included macro to show the LO calc app menu, then make your default menu changes! (view / toolbar)

Jim_HiTek · January 1, 2025, 9:16pm

Downloaded and ran the macro, the two icon menus flashed (flashed grey, then came back to norm) but the Menu bar I need didn’t show up. I can attach a screen shot but it would be of something that is missing so I don’t know how it could help. This search below is close to what I’m talking about. To the right on the page is a screen grab of what I want LO Calc to look like. All of the LO apps really. See there are 3 menu bars above the spreadsheet body. I have the 2nd and 3rd menus which are just icons, I’m missing that top menu with the words File - Edit - View - etc. etc… I’ve searched every right click drop down of those icons and none of them show Tools for instance.

Type this into Google search and the display on the right of LO Calc page is what I’m referring too: “what does the LibreCalc page look like?”

skyandrews · January 1, 2025, 9:23pm

Jim,

OK! That is helpful… I am working to modify the macro based upon this new info. Will post here when completed.

Jim_HiTek · January 1, 2025, 9:27pm

I did not fiddle with the User Interface. I installed a new complete version of Ubuntu 24.04.1 and with that came a new LibreOffice. I opened it and did a quick check and it ran fine. I than imported all my spreadsheets from my backup drive and none of those show that Menu Bar at the top of the page like they are supposed to. I didn’t do anything at first run, I just opened the SS’s I needed to work on. It’s been a couple weeks and I noticed right away that bar was missing, but it didn’t prevent me from editing my SS’s. It’s now the new year so I was trying to recover that menu bar.

Opening LibreOffice does not lead to any menu that shows anything about setting up the menus. ‘Help’ and ‘Extensions’ are the only clickable configuration buttons.

Jim_HiTek · January 1, 2025, 9:41pm

Thank you for your help!

I have to leave as I’m a Oregon Ducks fan and I need to go to a sports bar to be able to watch the Rose Bowl game that comes on at 2PM. I’ll check this thread when I get back, soon after they win. I’m down in Mexico so I can’t get the game the usual way.

Again, thanks for your help.

LeroyG · January 1, 2025, 9:47pm

Can you see the title bar and the close button at the top?
imagen

Jim_HiTek · January 2, 2025, 1:41am

I do have the X _ SqrBox at the top left of the page, with the title of the sheet in the middle. Nothing at the far right. It’s a menu bar above the 2 icon menus. So yes, I see that stuff along with the close button. But the File Edit View etc. stuff is nowhere to be seen.

Does this screen shot help? Note that there isn’t any 'File Edit View, etc. bar:

skyandrews · January 2, 2025, 2:29am

Jim,
After several failed attempts to correct the missing menubar by macro, I have decided that the LO user profile reset option is probably the best way to go. (Ubuntu)
Open terminal and cd to your home directory.
Backup: To keep your current settings, rename the /.config/libreoffice/user folder to something like user_backup using mv ~/.config/libreoffice/user ~/.config/libreoffice/user_backup.
Reset: To fully reset, delete the original /.config/libreoffice/user folder using `rm -rf ~/.config/libreoffice/user’ Then exit terminal and restart libreoffice. It should create a new user profile using the default libreoffice settings, including the menubar and toolbar settings.

Jim_HiTek · January 2, 2025, 3:10am

FYI, there is nothing in the /user file in ~/.config/libreoffice on my setup. Is that important? I can use nano and edit said ‘user’ file but what goes in it?

This AM I opened my backup laptop which has LO Ver 24.2 (same Ver as my main computer) on it and first checked LO Calc and the spread sheet does have that menu bar. I than did a ‘sudo nano ~/.config/libreoffice/user’ and it is empty.

So I’m not sure editing the Config file will do anything. But, what I’m going to do this AM is uninstall LO and reinstall.

EarnestAl · January 2, 2025, 3:52am

See How to correct Err:540 - #4 by EarnestAl

skyandrews · January 2, 2025, 5:53pm

Morning Jim…
I guess I should have asked if your ubuntu LO version was the snap version or package version? There is likely a difference in directory and file structure between the two! Anyway… you might again try the updated spreadsheet with a modified macro that is supposed to unHide ALL existing layout elements!
unHideElements.ods (11.9 KB)

Jim_HiTek · January 2, 2025, 5:42pm

Rebooted into Ubuntu Gnome desktop and the menu bar was back. Then tried Cinnamon and it was there too. Back on the Mate desktop, checked appearance, and then MATE Tweak.

MATE TWEAK is the culprit. I was using a custom Panel layout. Changing to Cupertino restored the missing menu bar in LO. It is very weird to me that a Tweak app would change the default look of a software program, actually removing a menu bar. Very strange.

Anyway, I’ve got the missing menu bar back now. Thanks for the help.

skyandrews · January 2, 2025, 6:04pm

That is good to hear! I am sure the LO developers would also appreciate a bug report on this problem so they may resolve it in a future release… if you have some time! By the way… did your fb team win too? If so, you’re off to pretty good start this year!

Jim_HiTek · January 2, 2025, 7:07pm

Sadly, my team, the Oregon Ducks, #1 in the nation, was screwed over by the system. They had 28 feakin’ days off between games. Ohio only had 12 days off. A long rest period is well known to make the team that’s off too long play flat. They can’t get the type of exercise they need for the next game playing their own backup team for a couple weeks before a big game.

Remember when the NFL used to have a 3 week off period before the SuperBowl? And it came to be known as the SuperBore? Because the games were dull and boring? Finally the NFL shortened the off time to 2 weeks and the games got interesting again. Same thing here but only affected the Ducks. 28 days off is just toooooo long!

Years ago, another nationally ranked college team faced a similar problem, and what they did was hire a ranked but out of the running team to play them just for the practice. Oregon should have asked the Washington Huskies to be their practice squad. Most players are happy to extend their season with that sort of play.

Well, anyway, it’s over now. The Ducks were screwed but there’s no going back.

Yea, it turns out that Mate Tweak did ‘disappear’ the menu bar, but only in LibreOffice! No other app was affected that I’ve found. I’ll try doing a bug report.