Writer crash when inserting sub-docs to master, subsequently navigator issue

[eighty2]

LO Writer 25.2.7.x
Linux Manjaro 26.0.0 + XFCE DE
Writing work using master document and sub-docs
Using .odt’s and .ott while in edition of .odt’s.
TOC and indices still not added to master.
Also style-based writing, however only paragraph, character, page styles; custom and Writer-stock ones.
Actually I should derive my master from .ott as well, however forgot to do so this time.

Same issue I had already a year, or bit longer, ago - one of former releases was in my use as of those days.

Problem description starts:
I was on inserting documents to master document. Master document freshly created. As of time being master has only one blank paragraph. Remaining content comes from sub-documents inserted.
Master linked to about 7, or so, sub-docs at the point of time when Writer crashed Problem A

What followed is the auto-recovery interaction of LO. I let to recover all documents, what however succeeded.
Problem B Subsequently to successful auto-recovery the open navigator covers almost whole screen, that a way the manual resize to it former dimensions (rather a vertical block) is necessary. Considering the number of open documents the manual resize is cumbersome.

I appreciate if AskLO forum community can provide eventual input regarding these two issues?

EDIT
It repeatedly crashes when I reorder sub-documents in master.
Some further issue (started early stage of this writing works) is that every prompt to take over style modifications from template to current document pops up twice. I struggle if it can have something in common with crashes observed.
Following to successful recovery the damn manual resize of side bar to its former (prior to Writer crash) dimensions is damn necessary. I struggle if it may have something in common with XFCE settings. Can’t find in LO a tool for tracing crash root cause.
I also wonder why, following each crash and recovery, the sidebar gets new window width - without user to have performed any operation with this intention.

EDIT 2
deepwiki Devin trained on XFCE code base finds out that there is no XFCE4 feature that directly manages LO’s sidebar width. Its opinion has the sound that LO is likely misapplying per-window saved geometry on recovery, interacting with xfce4’s gravity workaround and session restoration.
Can LO experts / developers help here?
Writer sidebar after crash.pdf (12.0 KB)
Writer crash and sidebar issues.pdf (33.7 KB)

[eighty2]

I decided to rolled out one more session with deep wiki Devin. Problem was presented once again. The sound of Devin’s opinion got this time is that problem described is known class of issues in Writer core and Autorecovery components. Recovery process would preserve document content but not UI state like bars width. Devin makes his judgement based on crash-scenario tests found on LO-core code-base.
writer-crash-while-working-in-master.pdf (32.4 KB)

writer-crash-while-working-in-master.txt.zip (8.0 KB)

In my past tests I added frequent storage of document/template to disk. This results in no improvements.

I struggle if configuration below plays a role in crashes I encounter.

EDIT
I possibly owe one further detail, which may play a role in case of crashes: for citations, reference management and bibliography insertion to master document a technical mean external to LO is used: Zotero app. Zotero plugin-level all sub-docs and master had reference auto-update enabled. I disabled that on all documents for counter-test. Maybe crash root-cause can be narrowed down this way.

[eighty2]

In the meantime I encountered one more scenario of Writer crashes >>> opening document print preview. DeepWiKi Devin analysing LO-core code-base found in Writer code yet in short time a record of related bug. I still don’t know a workaround proper for current state of progress in my ongoing writing.

Back to problem in this AskLO question: DeepWiKi Deving ran to analyse LO-core code and presented with details of writing project hinted to Writer document version functionality as a hot suspect of root cause. Following that hint I decided to create a copy of every subdocument open in Writer interactive session and to perform it before subdocuments get included in master. Save a Copy operation doesn’t transport document versions to copy created. From beginning of this writing I create document versions, so far some of subdocuments got a fair number of versions. If Devin analysis is right myself spotted in this circumsance the chance for workaroud to avoid Writer crashes. Devin found that document version handler is a complicated process, thus it shows high potential to lead to problematic code flow. First short tests conducted with workaround applied are positive, however the test was rather short. More observations are needed.
It was again DeepWiKi Devin whom I asked for Basic code macro creating copies of open template and sub-documents. Code is placed in master document Basis module Standard.

Sub SaveCopyAllODTAndOTTDocuments_Auto()  
    Dim oDesktop As Object  
    Dim oComponents As Object  
    Dim oEnum As Object  
    Dim oComponent As Object  
    Dim oStorable As Object  
    Dim sURL As String  
    Dim sNewURL As String  
    Dim sPath As String  
    Dim sName As String  
    Dim sExt As String  
    Dim i As Integer  
    Dim iPos As Integer  
      
    Set oDesktop = CreateUnoService("com.sun.star.frame.Desktop")  
    Set oComponents = oDesktop.getComponents()  
    Set oEnum = oComponents.createEnumeration()  
      
    Do While oEnum.hasMoreElements()  
        Set oComponent = oEnum.nextElement()  
          
        If oComponent.supportsService("com.sun.star.text.TextDocument") Then  
            sURL = oComponent.getURL()  
              
            If Right(LCase(sURL), 4) = ".odt" Or Right(LCase(sURL), 4) = ".ott" Then  
                Set oStorable = oComponent  
                  
                ' Find last "/" manually  
                iPos = 0  
                For i = Len(sURL) To 1 Step -1  
                    If Mid(sURL, i, 1) = "/" Then  
                        iPos = i  
                        Exit For  
                    End If  
                Next i  
                  
                ' Parse filename  
                sPath = Left(sURL, iPos)  
                sName = Mid(sURL, iPos + 1)  
                sExt = Right(sName, 4)  
                sName = Left(sName, Len(sName) - 4)  
                  
                ' Create new filename  
                sNewURL = sPath & sName & "_cp4master" & sExt  
                  
                ' Store copy without dialog  
                oStorable.storeToURL(sNewURL, Array())  
            End If  
        End If  
    Loop  
      
    MsgBox "Automatic copy creation completed for all .odt and .ott documents.", vbInformation  
End Sub

Macro gets invoked manually in Basic IDE.

[fpy]

@eighty2

input

IMHO, TLTR

[eighty2]

In the meantime I am lucky to have achieved a workshop for my writing project at satisfying level of operational stability. Writing project complies following components:

• use of master and sub-documents
• sub-documents along document template open in one Writer session for editorial continuation this level
• master document open in separate Writer session for its editorial at the same time as the bullet above
• both bullets above sound “in parallel” however don’t equal “concurrent”.
• style-based document formatting (however only paragraph-, character- and page styles)
• style management and maintenance in document template
• one single template for both subs and the master - according to recommendation found in Writer Book/Guide published by LO community
• reference and citation management by an 3rd-party app external to LO; also placing bibliography in document
• master document houses only those classes of final document content not manageable on sub-documents level, like TOC, indices, bibliography

Special measures the writing environment level were necessary due to high runtime instability of Writer in above use-case. I will provide further details as soon as a free time window available. As of this minute I can have all subs along with template open in one Writer session, while master in another; conduct modifications on any of these two sides yet at arbitrary point of time; place bibliography, TOC to document, update content placed in document by use of technical means, save to disk, print to pdf. Either true weaknesses in LO design / implementation or mistakes in my administration / maintenance of underpinning operating system are causing stability problems I had to deal with few weeks ago. Right now the writing shop here shows satisfying operational stability (no crashes so far).

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