Update styles automatically

English
#1

When you open a document that is based on the template that has been changed since the last time you edited the document, there will be a warning message:

image

Is there a way to avoid this window and update the styles in the document automatically when you open it?

(I know there is such an option to avoid the warning dialog when you try to insert a linked image. You need to proceed to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Advanced > Open Expert Configuration, and then change the value of ShowLinkWarningDialog under org.openoffice.Office.Common to False. I need the same option for the window shown above.)

#2

There are two different cases:

  • When you open a template, and then save it as an individual document, then it will not be linked to the original template.
  • But when you import some styles from a template into an existing document, that is an another case.

Your case is similar to the second case. Am I right?

1 Like
#3

@Zizi64

My understanding.

Your statement:
to 1, I agree
to 2, I understand it differently.

Statement from the OP:
i try to describe it in my words and according to the actual functionality.

A template_01 is created.
A document_01 is created from it…
The template_01 is modified/enriched with some styles and is saved again as template_01.
If now document_01 is opened the message comes as specified by the OP.

IMHO it is not a warning message, but only the possibility to select if the document_01 should keep the integrated styles (Keep Old Styles), or if all styles should be overwritten by the template_01 (Update Styles).

The request from the OP to automatically update always, I think IMHO not desirable.

1 Like
#4

@Zizi64, yes, you are correct.

For example, I have 100 documents that are based on the template Foo. Then, for some reason, I adjust the Foo template in some way. For example, I change the color of the Text Body style from black to red. And then, since I have changed the template, each of those 100 documents, when I open one of them, will prompt me to update its Text Body style accordingly. So I will need to press the “Update Styles” for each of them. This is boring and distracting. I don’t like this.

Instead, when I open a document which is based on the tempate Foo, and Writer notice that the color of the Text Body style in the template have changed from black to red, it should simply change the color of Text Body style in the document as well. That is, from black to red. That’s it.

What I ask for is actually a very simple and basic thing. Just get rid of this window and ask Writer to press the “Update Styles” button automatically and “silently”.

#5

What I ask is actually a very simple and basic thing. Just get rid of this window and ask writer to press the “Update Styles” button automatically and “silently”.

It’s a pity that you are one of the people who ask questions here without informing yourself about this website. But I would like to help you a little.

This site here is almost 100% supported by users like you. That means your questions are normally answered by users.

Why you make such a request here is completely beyond me. You are simply wrong here with your request in this form.

If you have change requests, you can post them on Bugzilla.

#6

I agree with @Hrbrgr that this universal automatic update is not desirable.

Update or not is part of the current organisation on the present work. It should remain a liberty for an author.

I understand that updating 100 documents to the new “stable” state of a template is not a very user-friendly task because it can’t be automated. But there are circumstances where this is not desirable.

My documents are based on a template which is slowly converging to a satisfactory state. For long standing documents I save several versions reflecting the “historical” worthiness and significance on some date. It happens that I open these backups to check facts, statements, conclusions, … Of course, the template is not the same as it were when the document was written. I don’t want the backup documents to be updated because it would also imply a change in its appearance, perhaps changing a bit the semantics. Therefore, though I routinely update the styles on documents in progress, automatic update would damage (this word is intentionally used) my “historical” documents.

I could alternatively export my backups to PDF but this wouldn’t allow copy & paste in full versatility.

Even having a parameter in advanced configuration is dangerous, because you could forget to reset it after a global update. IMHO, the correct “solution” is a command line option so that you can write a script iterating over a directory to update the document through a headless command with the option enabled.

1 Like
#7

@Hrbrgr, I don’t understand why you think that I confuse a user forum and a bug tracker. Or why you think that I request someone here to add some functionality into the program. I know about the Bugzillza and have reported many confirmed bugs. What I ask here is a possible solution that may exist, but is unknown to me. I suspect there is some “secret” “key” for this in “Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Advanced > Open Expert Configuration”. I don’t know for sure whether it is true, of course, and which key exactly.

#8

This is what I ask for, in fact. Liberty. As author, I want to choose between “warn me” and “don’t warn me”. Currently, there is only one option. It is very strange to see that people advocating for this. But well, anyway, it’s not useful to arguing with each other here. What I need is a possible solution. If anyone knows it, this is great, and I will be very apprericated to hear it. Cheers.

#9

Expert configuration is called “expert” because it’s for experts. :wink: Experts are assumed to know what they do and to take risks. But I agree, a command line option is another good choice.

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