Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 30534
moving table caption eliminates all references to the table
Last modified: 2013-08-07 14:38:26 UTC
If, after a table caption is inserted, it is moved (via drag and drop) from below the table to above, or vice versa, any references to the table are lost (the gray space where the reference was still refers to a table, but which table is indeterminate). Since it's possible to insert a caption either above or below a table, and to my knowledge there is no function for changing the location of a table caption once it has been inserted, it would be extremely helpful if it were possible to manually move (drag) a table caption without it losing its "identity". Another user and I have used the sample file (which I will attach) to confirm this for both Windows and Linux and for OOo 1.1.1 and OOo 1.1.2. The sample file contains additional text describing the behavior observed. It appears (at least in this sample file) that using "cut & paste" instead of "drag & drop" does not induce the same problematic behavior in references to tables. If, instead of permitting a table caption to be manually moved after insertion, an option were provided for relocating a table caption (from above to below, and vice versa), such a solution would be more than satisfactory.
Created attachment 16064 [details] Document demonstrates the problem when dragging table captions.
General problem of caption which cannot be edited afterwards. In the case of table caption, it is possible to edit the refererence and reset the reference from "2" to "Table 2".
This issue was filed as an enhancement. However, I feel that this is a prime example of non intended behaviour (dragging renders a cross refernce invalid) and I stronly feel this issue should be set as a "Defect".
To grep the issues easier via "requirements" I put the issues currently lying on my owner to the owner "requirements".
*** Issue 116414 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
It's an enhancement to fix a defect that was reported six and a half years ago! This "enhancement" is a basic feature that has been in the structured document editor, FrameMaker, in the 1980's! When a very long table splits across pages, the current system of having a separate, unrelated paragraph type for the caption following the table shows up on the last page of the table. When the table spans 10 pages, you don't have a caption until you thumb through all those pages! Please don't tell me that the answer is to break up the table. I could break up the table and then insert captions after every single sub-table, but when I add or delete rows from the table, I have to re-split the table. Re-splitting a table is tedious and error-prone, and turns on change-bars for splits that really shouldn't show up as changes.