[Libreoffice-bugs] [Bug 143197] Writer: hidden link between list and chapter numbering

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=143197

ajlittoz <page74010-sf at yahoo.fr> changed:

           What    |Removed                     |Added
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             Status|NEEDINFO                    |UNCONFIRMED
     Ever confirmed|1                           |0

--- Comment #2 from ajlittoz <page74010-sf at yahoo.fr> ---
(In reply to Roman Kuznetsov from comment #1)

> For what user do it?

I can't tell. Mixing chapter numbering and list numbering (i.e. activating
heading numbering with toolbar button) is a common newbie error. Likely caused
by a Word habit.

> Can you say shortly what's problem?

Chapter numbering is a dedicated implicit "list style" not accessible outside
headings (for safety). It is controlled from Tools>Chapter Numbering.

If user activates list numbering for his/her headings, list numbering takes
precedence in text but is not disabled in Tools>Chapter Numbering. Thus, we end
up with two numberings on headings. We're totally in undefined land (outside
Writer specification). Numbering may or may not be right. It depends on the
mess created by user and his/her (in)consistency (whether all headings receive
list numbering or only part of them). There is no visual clue about it. TOC
will be inconsistent either.

The fact that the drop-down menu in the toolbar for numbering modifies chapter
numbering without warning user (even in the documentation) is faulty because:

- it maintains user confusion about the fact that chapter numbering should be
independent from list numbering
- it resets possible user customisation of chapter numbering
- some list numbering modes are impossible as chapter numbering and degenerate
into nonsensical configuration
- it doesn't encourage to correctly use Tools>Chapter Numbering

IMHO (but I'm biased by my expertise in Writer usage), Format>Bullets &
Numbering, i.e. default lists without list styles, is a dangerous feature. It
is offered to facilitate conversion for people coming from Word but it allows
too easily to format lists and people stop there.

Default lists are hard to control and modifying format of already existing
lists is very difficult because "independent" lists all use the same default
list style. Writer is forced to contorted tricks to allow this instead of the
neat behaviour of pure list styles.

> Mike, or may be you can?

???

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