[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 121431] Set language for multiple paragraphs only sets it for the last selected one

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=121431

--- Comment #4 from Adalbert Hanßen <adalbert.hanssen at gmx.de> ---
Today I tested the bug again in LibreOfficeDev

Version: 6.4.0.0.alpha0+
Build ID: 0328e0af9532d5ab26840cf58b9dcbb69bb8c33d
CPU threads: 4; OS: Linux 4.4; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3; 
TinderBox: Linux-rpm_deb-x86_64 at 86-TDF, Branch:master, Time:
2019-06-28_14:36:08
Locale: de-DE (de_DE.UTF-8); UI-Language: en-US
Calc: threaded

I marked a text portion spanning several paragraphs. 

I used Tools>Language>for Paragraph.

No language carried a checkmark at that state of my testing. Then I continued
such that finally I checked

Tools>Language>for Paragraph>English (USA).

But this did not change the language: Everything was still underlined with red
curly lines indicating typing errors. I checked, if the checkmark for the
paragraphs being English (USA) was set: No, it was not, no checkmark on any
language in

Tools>Language>for Paragraph.

Then I repeated my trial with the selection only spanning one paragraph or less
and that worked such that the content of the whole paragraph was turned to
English (USA). After this, I checked if the checkmark for English (USA) was set
fpr that paragraph: No, it was not set. No checkmark at any language in

Tools>Language>for Paragraph.

Trying to find more about this glitch, I checked several parts of the paragraph
to which I had applied Tools>Language>for Paragraph>English (USA), but I
checked the properties of the marked test portions with 

Tools>Language>for Selection.

This showed me that the whole content of the paragraph had been turned to
English (USA), but as characters, not as a paragraph.

Preliminary Conclusion: 

a) EITHER the language flag is a property of characters rather than a property
of paragraphs. 

b) OR there is a language flag which can be associated to paragraphs, but it is
handled by setting this flag to the characters in the selection and the whole
surrounding paragraph in which it is located.

I don't know enough about the underlying data structures. At least, the
function is not properly implemented in the case for a selection spanning more
than one paragraph if a) is true and the option to apply a language to a
paragraph is meant as "extending the selection to the involved paragraphs
first, if necessary".

My proposal

aa) for case a): In this case the option to assign a language for a paragraph
should EITHER be removed, since there is nothing to associate a language to a
paragraph 

OR ab) (still for for case a): it should be implemented to also work, if the
selection spans more than one paragraph: extending to all associated
paragraphs.

bb) for case b): If the data structures are such that they apply a language to
characters and to paragraphs, the hierarchy of those settings should be
explained in the help function and the function should be applied accordingly. 

The current user interface at this point is just anti-logical (since it works
for less than one paragraph extending but does not work at all, if the
selection extends across paragraph bounds). It just surprises the user.
Sometimes he is happy, sometimes he is unhappy. But the user does not know
about it ahead (unless he has spent as much time as I did to find out when it
works and when it doesn't).

Probably removing the option to set the selection for paragraphs is the
quickest one to implement. It has the advantage to make the program more
logical to use and less "mystic exceptions" to learn for a beginner.

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