Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 102245
Open a copy of a read-only document results in a new, read-only document.
Last modified: 2014-01-17 13:13:06 UTC
As of OpenOffice 3.1 I can't open a working copy of a read-only Calc document: I have a document, marked to be opened in read-only mode (Extra -> Options -> Security -> Open in Read-Only mode (translated from dutch, don't know the actual English notation). And because of Issue 96611, the document is locked by the first person that opens the file; So OOo 3.1 asks me what to do: Open the document as read-only or to open a new copy of the document. When I choose to open a new copy of the document, the document opens with the name "Untitled 1 (read-only)" The new document is now still read-only and can't be changed...This can't be right? Also when I initially chose to open the document read-only, and then click on the toolbar-icon to re-open the document in read-write mode. I get a question about using this document as a template for a new document. When I answer Yes on that question, again a new document "Untitled 1 (read-only)" is opened with the contents of the original file.. But also here the new document is read-only and can't be changed. This is new behaviour since v3.1 as in v3.0.1 it still worked (despite that it was also displaying "(read-only)" in the title, the new document was actually read-write) I can't simulate this with a document where the Extra -> Options -> Security -> Open in Read-Only mode is not set.
Also mind that when the new document "untitled 1" is opened as read-only, there is no way to enable read-write editing of the document as the toolbar icon to leave read-only mode is grayed out in this new document.
Locking the document is normal so that users are not overwriting each others work on accident. As for the read only it sounds like you are setting the permission of the file to read only. If this is the case when you open a new copy of the document you are literally making a copy of the document and its permissions. Which means the read only will carry over into this new document. It sounds like for the second piece that when the document is being used as a template it is coping the permissions along with it. This shouldn't be the case and may have been resolved in a recent update of AOO. Please let us know if you are having any of these issues with an updated installation.
Just because someone else opened the file doesn't mean "Open file read-only" option can be relieved.
@Brian: Locking is indeed normal, except in case of Issue 96611.. Also I am sure there was no issue with actual file permissions. In case the 'Open in Read-Only mode' settings is copied to the new document, it should not be active as the request was to open (a copy of) the document in read-write mode. When the copy is then saved and reopened by someone, it should indeed be opened in read-only mode again. And I'm afraid I can't test this anymore as I'm no longer working for the employer where we used to use OOo, and where this issue rose. My new employer works with MS Office :-( and I don't see then migrating any time soon... @Edwin, I think you misunderstood my report. I will try to describe step by step how to actually reproduce the problem as it existed then, and maybe still now. Hoping to help the community determine if this bug is still actual and then solve this problem. I described 2 separate scenario's in which a document is opened read-only and then is used as a kind of template for a NEW document.. However the new, still in-memory only, document also opens read-only from the start and can't be edited in any way because the read-write button on the toolbar is grayed out in this new document. Scenario 1: 1. Create a document with some content 2. Set option: Extra -> Options -> Security -> Open in Read-Only mode 3. Save and close document 4. Let someone else open the document in read-write mode by clicking the read-write button in the toolbar (or if issue 96611 is still actual, read-only mode is fine) 5. Open the document while the other person has exclusive lock on it --> Document is opened read-only as expected 6. Try to reopen document in read-write mode by pressing the read-write button --> Question is asked: Open the document as read-only or to open a new copy of the document? 7. Answer "Open a new copy of the document" Actual Result: A new Untitled document is displayed with the content of the original document but it can't be edited and the read-write button on the toolbar is grayed out. Expected Result: A new Untitled document is displayed with the content of the original document and CAN be edited as it is a NEW document as a result of trying to reopen a read-only document in read-write mode. Scenario 2: 1. File -> Open 2. Check the checkbox "Open file Read-Only" in the Open-dialog 3. Select and open a document --> The selected document opens in read-only mode as requested 4. Try to reopen document in read-write mode by pressing the read-write button --> Question is asked: Do you want to use this document as a template for a new document? 5. Answer Yes, implying that you want a new document using the actual document as a template Actual result: A new Untitled document is displayed with the content of the original document but it can't be edited and the read-write button on the toolbar is grayed out. Expected Result: A new Untitled document is displayed with the content of the original document and CAN be edited as it is a NEW document only templated by the original document I hope this sheds some more light to this report and helps making AOO a better product for enterprise use.