[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 127098] New: Functions to Track and View Changes should really become Useful

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=127098

            Bug ID: 127098
           Summary: Functions to Track and View Changes should really
                    become Useful
           Product: LibreOffice
           Version: 6.4.0.0.alpha0+ Master
          Hardware: All
                OS: All
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: enhancement
          Priority: medium
         Component: Writer
          Assignee: libreoffice-bugs at lists.freedesktop.org
          Reporter: adalbert.hanssen at gmx.de

This proposal refers to experiences with LibreOfficeWriter Development up to 

Version: 6.4.0.0.alpha0+
Build ID: 8387a6db641b29e6ff3c2f4cdc4688f538cbe35f
CPU threads: 4; OS: Linux 4.4; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3; 
TinderBox: Linux-rpm_deb-x86_64 at 86-TDF, Branch:master, Time:
2019-08-09_06:28:42
Locale: de-DE (de_DE.UTF-8); UI-Language: en-US
Calc: threaded

and earlier versions. The functions to track and view changes in a document are
not really practical. Therefore they should be improved.

Steps to reproduce
1. provide a document of a few pages length.
2. Switch on Edit>Track Changes>Record but do not switch on View>Track Changes
at this point.
3. Apply a quite few changes in the document.
4. Apply some more changes to the document, but do this out of order from top
to bottom of the document, just one change here, the other one there and so on.
5. Correct some typos in the document.
6. Add some format changes to it, e.g. adding tabs, deleting multiple white
spaces.
7. Make some format changes. e.g. setting some words to italics, underlines or
bold.
8. Mark some lines as headlines of different order. If you have the impression
that you have touched in total 20-30% of the text somehow, this is a good
example.
9. Now switch on View>Track Changes.

If you have applied enough changes, the whole document looks to be completely
changed and you have difficulties to keep an overview of what has happened to
it.

Therefore I propose to enhance the already existing functions of the track
changes, namely View>Track Changes and Edit>Track Changes>Manage Changes, which
already has a tab Filter. It gives access to select changes in its List tab.
Only changes meeting certain criteria dealing with Author, Action or Comment
defined in the Filter tab are shown in the List tab. 

Using the category Comment (which has nothing to do to add Comments to the text
itself during the revision process) might be useful if there is a strict
agreement among the revisors to categorize changes by type and assign e.g.
letters to the different changes (e.g. O=optional, B=might be left out for
brevity, S plus a number=superfluous, the number characterizing the duplicate
where the topic is also dealt with). Using Comment requires very much
discipline among the involved people however.

The Action tab lets one choose between Insertion/Deletion/Format/Table Changes.
Unfortunately, selection only has an influence on the list shown in the List
tab of Edit>Track Changes>Manage Changes, not on the document window. That
would really provide a great benefit! The Filter criteria should also influence
the display of changes in the document window, this would be the right place to
deselect all format changes in View>Track Changes. 

It does not make much sense to select either Insertions or Deletions. At least
one should have a chance to select Insertions or Deletions. Often one wants to
view the document with the text changes emphasized (by color). Selecting
Insertions or Deletions would be the right thing then. However, corrections of
typos (typically done by using the spell check functions or by typing over a
marked part in a word and only changing a few characters, namely transposing a
few of them or adding missing ones or deleting duplicatd ones - but not
exchanging digits in a number! - would also be something which should be
possible to select or deselect for View>Track Changes. I propose to categorize
all this as “typos”. Of course, proceed to the previous or next correction or
accept all corrections should only operate on those which are selected
(presently it is that way, but they are only highlighted in Edit>Track
Changes>Manage Changes List tab and one can click on them to get to the proper
place in the document window). Of course currently you can proceed to the next
or previous meeting the filter criterion and accept the current one or reject
it or accept all or reject all selected changes.

Expected result: 
9. View>Track Changes should have two basic choices:
simple
        Text changes (insertions or deletions)
        typos
        white spaces (insertions or deletions)
        format changes

complex (see Edit>Track Changes>Manage Changes>Filter)
If one checks simple, one should be able to select among the four subcategories
(0 to 4 check marks).

If one selects complex, one should be able to select like in the current
Edit>Track Changes>Manage Changes>Filter tab, however with the addition of
being able to distinguish between real text changes, typos and white spaces
like in proposed “simple” mode.

Of course, the selection should influence Edit>Track Changes>Manage
Changes>List as well as the document window and the button tools to proceed to
the previous, next, accept or reject should always operate on the displayed
changes. 

With these enhancements one could for example

* view all substantial text changes - not even seeing or being being bothered
with typo changes, format changes, white spaces insertion or deletion etc

* accept all typo corrections in one operation,

* accept all white space changes in one operation.

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