Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 57208
Turning tool tips off also prevents "Notes" from being seen
Last modified: 2013-02-07 22:38:42 UTC
(I don't know if this is the correct "component" in which to be entering this issue. It is not specific to Calc, Writer, etc.) I've discovered something that doesn't seem quite right. You can turn the "tool tips" on and off by going to Tools > Options > OpenOffice.org > General, and then checking or unchecking the box that says "Tips". When this box is unchecked, you no longer see the pop-up "tool tips" as you point the cursor at a tool on the toolbar. This is the expected result of unchecking this box. However, there is another, unexpected, result. When "notes" are present in a spreadsheet or text document (notes being put there by Insert > Note), normally when you point the cursor at the cell (in a spreadsheet) that contains a note, and hesitate for a second or two, the note pops up. When the Help "tips" is unchecked, however, the note no longer appears. Was this intentional? If so, it seems a bit unusual. It doesn't seem that whether the tool tips appear or not should affect whether notes appear. I would think that notes should always appear (or be turned on and off separately, although I don't know why someone would want to turn them off), and not be tied into whether the help tool tips are on or off. (I'm using OOo 2.0, with Windows XP.) Thanks, Dick, Webster, NY
I am the one who submitted the issue. I would like to clarify it. With "Tips" off, the Note does not show up when the cursor is pointed at the cell. However, it IS possible to still see the Note by right clicking on the cell and selecting "Show Note". However, this to me is much less convenient than the Note appearing when the cursor is pointed to the cell, because (a) a step is needed to get the note to appear; and (b) the note stays in view until another operation is done (right clicking again, and unchecking "Show Note").
Confirmed with OOo 2.0.2RC3, WinXP. Disabling 'Tool Tips' also prevents Notes popping-up. This should not occur and could easily confuse a User as to why Notes have apparently stopped functioning. Regards, Andrew
This works as designed. So it's not a defect. This behaviour should be re-thought for upcomming OOo versions.
It seems odd that it is designed like this. I do think that this should be re-considered for future versions. At the very least, the Help should make clear that turning off tool tips will also turn off having notes appear when the user points at a cell. I don't think many people would expect this two features to be linked like this.