[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 125248] New: LibreOffice Calc tabs in data not displaying and/or preserved

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=125248

            Bug ID: 125248
           Summary: LibreOffice Calc tabs in data not displaying and/or
                    preserved
           Product: LibreOffice
           Version: 6.0.7.3 release
          Hardware: x86-64 (AMD64)
                OS: Linux (All)
            Status: UNCONFIRMED
          Severity: normal
          Priority: medium
         Component: Calc
          Assignee: libreoffice-bugs at lists.freedesktop.org
          Reporter: littlergirl at gmail.com

Description:
Tabs that are pasted in or that are brought in by opening or importing a .csv
file that contains tabs in its data are not always displayed or preserved in
the import dialog and/or the cell and/or the input line.


Steps to Reproduce:
THE EXAMPLE DATA USED IN THE TESTS:

The tests were done with the example.csv file that was created in a text editor
with this line of data, containing a word followed by a single tab followed by
a word followed by two tabs followed by another word:

one     two             done

Test 1:
1) Import the example.csv file into the spreadsheet program using commas as the
delimiter.
2) Check whether tabs in the data are displayed in the import dialog.
3) Check whether tabs in the data are displayed in the input line.
4) Check whether tabs in the data are displayed in cell A1.
5) Verify whether the white space (if any) consists of tabs or spaces by moving
the cursor across the data using the keyboard.
6) Copy the data in the cell.
7) Paste the copied data into a new text file.
8) Verify whether the white space (if any) consists of tabs or spaces by moving
the cursor across the data using the keyboard or by displaying hidden
characters in the text file

Test 2:
 1) Open the example.csv file in a text editor.
 2) Copy the data in it.
 3) Open the spreadsheet program.
 4) Paste the copied data into cell A1.
 5) Check whether tabs in the data are displayed in the input line.
 6) Check whether tabs in the data are displayed in cell A1.
 7) Verify whether the white space (if any) consists of tabs or spaces by
moving the cursor across the data using the keyboard.
 8) Copy the data in the cell.
 9) Paste the copied data into a new text file.
10) Verify whether the white space (if any) consists of tabs or spaces by
moving the cursor across the data using the keyboard or by displaying hidden
characters in the text file.
11) Save the spreadsheet as the result.csv file.
12) Close the spreadsheet program.
13) Import the result.csv file into the spreadsheet program using commas as the
delimiter.
14) Repeat Test 1 steps 2 through step 7.


Actual Results:
Tests were done on an older version of LibreOffice Calc, a newer version of
LibreOffice Calc, and then Apple Numbers and Microsoft Excel as a comparison of
behavior.
==========================================================================================================
LIBREOFFICE CALC v5.1.6.2 TESTS:

Test 1:
        When the example.csv file is imported into LibreOffice Calc using
commas as the delimiter, tabs in the data are displayed in the import dialog.
Once the data is imported, the tabs are preserved and displayed in the input
line, but are not displayed in the cell (all visible white space has been
silently stripped from the cell). The tabs are preserved when copying the cell
data and pasting it into a text file.

Test 2:
        When the example data is manually pasted into cell A1 in a new instance
of LibreOffice Calc, the tabs are displayed in the input line and in the cell.
The tabs are preserved when copying the cell data and pasting it into a text
file. When saving the contents of the spreadsheet as result.csv, the tabs are
immediately and silently converted to spaces.
==========================================================================================================
LIBREOFFICE CALC v6.0.7.3 TESTS:

Test 1:
        When the example.csv file is imported into LibreOffice Calc using
commas as the delimiter, tabs in the data are displayed in the import dialog.
Once the data is imported, the tabs are displayed in the input line with a
slightly larger gap for the sequence of tabs, but when the keyboard is used to
move the cursor along the input line, the sequence of tabs behaves as one tab.
The tabs are displayed in the cell with a significantly larger gap for the
sequence of tabs, but when the keyboard is used to move the cursor along the
cell contents, the sequence of tabs behaves as one tab. When the contents of
the cell are copied and pasted into a text file, the tabs have been preserved.

Test 2:
        When the example data is manually pasted into cell A1 in a new instance
of LibreOffice Calc, the tabs are immediately and silently converted to spaces.
==========================================================================================================
APPLE NUMBERS TESTS:

Test 1:
        When the example.csv file is opened in Numbers, tabs in the data are
displayed in the cell with a significantly larger gap for a sequence of tabs.
When the keyboard is used to move the cursor along the data in the cell, the
sequence of tabs behaves as separate tabs. When the contents of the cell are
copied and pasted into a text file, the tabs have been preserved. When clicking
the "Adjust Settings" button, tabs in the data are displayed in that diaglog
with a significantly larger gap for a sequence of tabs.

Test 2:
        When the example data is manually pasted into cell A1 in a new instance
of Numbers, the tabs are displayed in the cell with the sequence of tabs being
significantly larger than the single tab. When the keyboard is used to move the
cursor along the data in the cell, the sequence of tabs behaves as separate
tabs. When the cell contents are copied and pasted into a text file, the tabs
have been preserved. When saving the contents of the spreadsheet as result.csv,
closing the file, and opening it in Numbers again, tabs in the data are
displayed in the cell with a significantly larger gap for the sequence of tabs
and when the keyboard is used to move the cursor along the cell contents, the
sequence of tabs behaves as two tabs. When the contents of the cell are copied
and pasted into a text file, the tabs have been preserved.
==========================================================================================================
MICROSOFT EXCEL TESTS:

Test 1:
        When the example.csv file is imported into Excel using commas as the
delimiter, once the data is imported, tabs are not displayed in the input line
or in the cell. When the contents of the cell are copied and pasted into a text
file, the tabs have been preserved.

Test 2:
        When the example data is manually pasted into cell A1 in a new instance
of Excel, the tabs are immediately and silently converted to spaces.
==========================================================================================================
SUMMARY:

        This is considered unexpected behavior:
                * The display of tabs in the input line and cell not being
consistent with one another.
                * The sequence of tabs behaving as a single tab in the input
line when the keyboard is used to move across the data.
                * The silent removal of displayed tabs from the input line
and/or cell.
                * The silent conversion of tabs to spaces in the cell on paste.
                * The silent conversion of tabs to spaces in the cell on saving
to .csv format.

        LibreOffice Calc and Microsoft Excel show unexpected behaviors. Apple
Numbers shows no unexpected behaviors.


Expected Results:
Expected results are that tabs would display as tabs in the input dialog, in
the input line, and in the cell, and that they would be preserved when copied
from a cell to a text file or other document.



Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: No


OpenGL enabled: Yes

Additional Info:
POSSIBLY RELATED, BUT POSSIBLY A SEPARATE BUG:

It used to be possible to use Ctrl+Tab to enter a tab in the cell data, but it
cannot currently be done. I'd say that's also unexpected behavior because tabs
are legitimate characters that are present on keyboards, so it should be
possible to create them inside of spreadsheet cells without having to copy them
from elsewhere and paste them in.

As requested here is the information from Help - About LibreOffice for each of
the versions of LibreOffice tested for this bug report:

Version: 5.1.6.2
Build ID: 1:5.1.6~rc2-0ubuntu1~xenial6
CPU Threads: 6; OS Version: Linux 4.15; UI Render: default; 
Locale: en-US (en_US.UTF-8); Calc: group

Version: 6.0.7.3
Build ID: 1:6.0.7-0ubuntu0~18.04.5
CPU Threads: 1; OS: Linux 4.15; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3;
Locale: en-US (en_US.UTF-8); Calc: group

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