Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 41454
Add a character/word count in the status bar
Last modified: 2016-03-22 23:24:41 UTC
Hi, As a journalist, I would like to always see the character count, without having to open the Statistics dialog box each time. It would be a great idea to add this info in the status bar under the document window. Best regards, Paolo
reassigned to requirements.
*** Issue 42597 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
*** Issue 69801 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
from issue 42597 - iannz has created a sample implementation with a custom statusbar that can be toggled. ------- Additional comments from iannz Fri Feb 11 18:20:34 -0700 2005 ------- I have been playing with this concept, and have developed a macro that demonstrates how it could work. What I have done so far can be found in a template available from: http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/hillview/OOo/1800MS_IL.2.stw The basic idea is that the macro can toggle between a custom status bar and the usual status bar. When the custom status bar is displayed, information such as word and character counts for the entire document and the view cursor's current loaction (characters from left and lines from top of page) are displayed. When a selection is made Word counts for the selection are dsiplayed. If a portion of the status bar was made available via the API then it would be easier to implement custom status information.
Changed platform to All vice MacIntosh per IZ 69801. (it appears that cloph forgot to do this.) James McKenzie
Tested suggestion of using Macro to force change and this is acceptable to me as a method to get around this requirement. No all users want to look at the word count in their document.
Tested the Macro in Neo Office 2 Beta 3 Patch 6--it creates several serious problems. I am aware this is a piliminary, but a headsup for those who want to test it. 1. It doesn't save in a template. 2. It doesn't stay as a preference. 3. It messes up dictionaries so they only will spellcheck in German... (for the document with the Macro active). 4. Tends to crash Neo Office. 5. Doesn't save within a document (once you close poof). So it's good for a demo run, but don't actually use the listed Macro with the intention of using it long-term. Doesn't work, the cursor gets stuck, etc (And I'm running an Intel Mac Pro...) So don't take that Macro seriously... even as a temporary solution. It's a demo, as it said. So I wouldn't run serious/important documents with it active, 'cause as they say, It's just a test, it's just a test so it would show how it would work. I'd like to see this as a preference under preferences... or at least a menu Macro. Be a good alternate to that useless "Word Count" one where you can't select the window behind it to get a word count. (It beeps and then you have to type some more then activate it, close it, etc). I'll patiently wait for it. Thank you for the hard work on this. --Hitsuji
*** Issue 72985 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
This deserve a fix. I met a journalist and meet this issue immediately. The macro crash my OpenOffice 3.0 easily.
Yes, this is a very important feature for journalists/copy editors, fix please.
This enhancement is essential in my view. I am a student and need to see the word count in every essay and report I am writing.
Hi, I'm a journalist, so I'm constantly working toward a specific word count on every story I write. Having to stop what I'm doing -- and break my though process and generally get out of a writing head space -- to check word count through navigating menus is a constant pain. When at work, and working in Microsoft Office on the Macs there, every station has live word count enabled because it's literally one of the most often-used and necessary features in the program. Aside from spell check, I don't think there's any other feature we use more on a daily basis. Also, because I've managed to find an OpenOffice macro that will provide live word count in a separate window, I don't see why it would be difficult to add this feature. The code is already there, just put it in the status bar at the bottom of the screen. It baffles me that this hasn't been done yet.
Hi velvet_man. If you use so few other features of OOO I would recommend you migrating away from OOO and use opensource Abiword instead. Abiword has their own problem too, nothing is perfect, but it at least provides a dialog display word count AND the dialog is alive, you can keep it open when you are authoring. I think abiword's shortage on multi-column layout and footnotes are not important to you. I'd perfer writing with left half of my screen and keep the word count dialog on the right half of the screen. It's good to hear you complain because then ooo people is more aware the competition exists in opensource world too (abiword/ooo). In general I think OOO did a good job, but this bug I think belongs to the papercut category <https://launchpad.net/hundredpapercuts> thus should be heard.
velvet_man, where did you find the macro that creates a live word count? This is a major issue for me, and while I understand the coding will take time, it would be great to have the macro to use before the next deadline. Does the macro you refer to allow typing while the live word count is open? I found an extension that does not (Writer's Tools). -Zukomi
Karandora, the macro I'm using is much better than Writer's Tool. You can find the code at http:// yawar.blogspot.com/2006/05/live-word-count-script-for.html. You just have to copy and paste it into an empty file and save it as a .py extension (and you need python libs installed). It works great. It's in a tiny window that doesn't take up too much space (I usually just move it to the bottom of the screen over the status bar, where it should be anyway). The only problem I have with it is having to go Tools > Macros > Run Macro every time I open a new document. And for the person who recommended AbiWord. I've tried that before and don't care for it. I'm most using this on a laptop with limited screen space. I want my OOo Writer window to be maximized in the screen without any big, obtrusive overlay windows taking up too much space (which AbiWord's live word count window did).
Another journalist chiming in here. I was extremely psyched to finally get the hell out of Microsoft's grip, but within seconds I was stymied by the lack of word count feature. It's something I use on a literally second-to-second basis, both to see the current total word count and to highlight smaller sections that need whittling down.
*** Issue 105066 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
*** Issue 107110 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
Yes, still sincerely hoping for this to be added. At work, I write numerous short paragraphs/articles which are limited by word counts of anywhere between 80 and 300. When you are dealing with very small word counts, it's far easier to edit things down or up to the desired number when you can see the count live. I have a macro, which does help, but I'd far rather see the word count somewhere unobtrusive within the actual window. Please. Surely this can't be overly difficult to do, and it's pretty much my only complaint. Hope it can be implemented soon. Thanks.
about the macro of few posts back in the topic, does it work on MAC too? I really need an utility like this, cause I create italian subtitles for job, and I need to know the number of characters for every line, and it's really uncomfortable to select everytime the whole line and pre TOOLS>WORD COUNT
*** Issue 107758 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
I'm actually surprised developers are marking some of these other issues as "duplicates." Having a word count window one can load is certainly not a replacement for a live and easily visible word count (the singlemost useful feature in any word processor from my standpoint); same goes for that macro - close but not a replacement. PLEASE consider this a priority feature to either remedy in an update or via an extension.
Hi, The issue 18004 (with 75 votes) seems to be a duplicate ? http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=18004 Regards, Thierry
In case of such kind of information is made available in status bar, I think it is necessary to be able to choose which information have to be shown because there is not enough room in status bar to show all requested data. I do not like to have to work with maximized window for the only reason that otherwise status bar is truncated. Regards. JBF
But are they actually working on improving this feature? Is it on the "next-to-do-features"?
It seems there are no news on this feature in the latest release. Maybe there are problems with live count? It sounds strange, since several other wps have it.
I work as a writer / journalist and keeping track of the word count on my writing is a must. I switched to Open Office because of similar features compared to Microsoft Office. The only option I miss is the ability to monitor the word count without having to open menus. I am sure that other writers in the business would appreciate the addition of this feature. sabqat
This is also a very useful tool for translators - we need character count and character count (without spaces). MS Office has had this since forever. When is OO.org going to introduce it. Even Google Docs has a better word count than OO.org!!
As I hope the developers can see from this string of comments, there is a need for this, especially at the professional level. Having a running word/character count built in is a necessity, and everyone like me, mcdragon, etc. who needs it right now has to use workarounds. Evidently it is not all that difficult to actually do it just by using the existing wordcount macro, which Yawar did four years ago (referenced in other messages: http://yawar.blogspot.com/2006/05/live-word-count-script-for.html). It works well, but it is still a floating toolbar instead of something that starts automatically and nests somewhere in that half-empty status bar. I'm not trying to minimize the actual work that might be involved, since obviously adding this feature requires more than just stuffing a python script into a complex program. But I think most other wp software has such a feature at this point - and having it available would make it that much easier for writing, editing, translating Office users to switch.
*** Issue 114536 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
Copying the report from dupe 114536, to try to increase priority of this bug, as a "simple" feature could help OOo conquest the heart of a very important group. This might look for developers a low profile feature, that nobody needs, but its "the" feature that is blocking many migrations: I work every few month with several journalists and one thing they always complain every time i manage for then to test openoffice is the openoffice word count is too basic. Please remember that journalists have limits for words/characters for their articles and this is a major feature for then. by talking with then, i figure that a status bar or a special toolbar with the word count stats. Maybe the status bar should have a selected text character/word count (similar to the selected cells SUM in calc) and a new toolbar with all the word count statistics, so people could customize the toolbars with the stats they want... update it manually or every X seconds/minutes or even if the user is idle this is a feature that must be included in the main openoffice (even if not enable by default if you want), as most journalists are too lazy (and most of the time, without enough knowledge) to search and install extensions when they have MSoffice ready to be used. this feature is more important than you might imagine, as journalist make reviews, express opinions, generate a free and important publicity. Even if the journalist is not a tech one, they show co-workers and friends their tools, so it they are happy, other might try it. Managing to conqueror the heart of a journalist is more valuable than most users, just suppressed by CEO and CTO users. This is a simple feature that might do the difference for this target group (and a big bonus for all other that need word count) thanks
Add me to CC
*** Issue 114599 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
This is an absolute definite MUST HAVE! This would be brilliant, immensely useful. I was having trouble logging in to post this comment but at last I am here to say YES, YES and YES again. Please, please, please: Add a character/word count in the status bar!
I'm a student and a fiction writer, so having a constant word count as I type would be immensely helpful for me. Having to bring up the dialog box every time is a hassle and irritating.
Resolve in LibreOffice 3.6: https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/3.6#Writer
(In reply to comment #36) > Resolve in LibreOffice 3.6: > https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleaseNotes/3.6#Writer This is OpenOffice bugzilla. I find it inadmissible that you promote a fork using OpenOffice resources.
Since OpenOffice 4.0, extensions developer can add controls to the status bar, so this can be implemented in an extension. See the example on the SDK: http://svn.apache.org/viewvc/openoffice/trunk/main/odk/examples/cpp/StatusbarController/WordCountStatusbarController/ It is an example implementing the feature requested in this bug.
Hi, I'm a writer that has been writing a book for the past 13 years. Although I have the book done in my head I need to be able to write it out. A word count would be helpful to see at a glace so I may reach daily goals and actually get this book on it's way to being published. Thank you for reading my only complaint. I love this program. ~Brittney
In general, the status bar should be configurable.
(In reply to Kurt Guenther from comment #40) > In general, the status bar should be configurable. There is a request to make the statusbar customizable via Tools - Customize..., but I can't find it right now. Customization was possible in OOo 1
Extension is available: http://extensions.openoffice.org/fr/node/17799
a HUGE thank you for adding this functionality!
(In reply to B. Jerew from comment #43) > a HUGE thank you for adding this functionality! Did you read comments? This function is provide with an extension.
(In reply to oooforum from comment #44) > (In reply to B. Jerew from comment #43) > > a HUGE thank you for adding this functionality! > Did you read comments? > This function is provide with an extension. That is why I said "Thank You"