Bug 160918

Summary:	FORMCONTROLS: Add ability to sort tab order by alphanumeric based on form control name
Product:	LibreOffice	Reporter:	Steve <steve>
Component:	Writer	Assignee:	Not Assigned <libreoffice-bugs>
Status:	UNCONFIRMED ---
Severity:	enhancement	CC:	stephane.guillou
Priority:	medium
Version:	7.5.2.2 release
Hardware:	All
OS:	All
Whiteboard:
Crash report or crash signature:		Regression By:
Attachments:	Complex tab sort order example - sorted by Automatic Sort ODT Complex tab sort order example - sorted by Automatic Sort PDF Complex tab sort order example - sorted manually by alpha ODT Complex tab sort order example - sorted manually by alpha PDF

Description Steve 2024-05-03 05:37:01 UTC

This is a feature request to sort the form controls tab order alphanumerically based on control name.

The 'Automatic Sort' option in the form control properties tab order dialog is useful in many circumstances. However, there are times when it is not perfect. Citing two examples:

1. A checkbox or radio button might be before (i.e. to the left of) an associated text box. If it is smaller in height, the text box will be sorted first, even though a user would logically want it second.

2. Some forms use column layouts. For usability, the tab order should scroll down the first column before moving to the next column. Because 'Automatic Sort' does not recognize columns, it produces a tab order that jumps back and forth between the column based the field's vertical alignment.

I do not propose to change 'Automatic Sort' to cater for these unique circumstances; it would likely be too difficult to come up with consistently effective rules.

Instead, I propose that the form designer would benefit from using a naming scheme with their controls that alphanumerically sequences their tab order (e.g. 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1, etc.). Then a button could be added beside 'Automatic Sort' in the tab order dialog, labelled something like 'Alpha Sort'.

I know it would make my life easier. Right now I have to fix tab orders manually; I used a naming scheme to make this easy but it remains a tedious chore for every form I create.

Thanks for your consideration of my feature request.

Comment 1 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2024-05-22 00:12:28 UTC

I'm finding it hard to understand the issue you're trying to solve.
Could you please attach a sample ODT that illustrates the issue?
Thank you!

Comment 2 Steve 2024-05-22 03:55:55 UTC

Created attachment 194252 [details]
Complex tab sort order example - sorted by Automatic Sort ODT

Comment 3 Steve 2024-05-22 03:56:40 UTC

Created attachment 194253 [details]
Complex tab sort order example - sorted by Automatic Sort PDF

Comment 4 Steve 2024-05-22 03:57:24 UTC

Created attachment 194254 [details]
Complex tab sort order example - sorted manually by alpha ODT

Comment 5 Steve 2024-05-22 03:57:56 UTC

Created attachment 194255 [details]
Complex tab sort order example - sorted manually by alpha PDF

Comment 6 Steve 2024-05-22 04:03:31 UTC

I have attached 2 ODTs and their exported PDFs.

The field names are already assigned alpha field names according to the tab order I desire. 1.1.01, 1.1.02 etc.

Try tabbing through the 'Automatic Sort' PDF - it shows the limitations of 'Automatic Sort'.

Now try tabbing through the 'Alpha Sort' PDF - hopefully you will agree it has much better usability.

This is a short form and took me 5 minutes to manually fix the sort order. If I had an Alpha Sort feature it would be done in an instant, and with less chance of error. Longer forms take ... much longer.

I hope this helps explain the request. This is an efficiency issue with pretty much every PDF form I create with Writer.

Comment 7 QA Administrators 2024-05-23 03:17:36 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)

[Automated Action] NeedInfo-To-Unconfirmed

Comment 8 Stéphane Guillou (stragu) 2024-05-23 08:15:29 UTC

I find results depend on the PDF reader.
- Firefox: both PDFs behave the same: section 1.1 OK, section 1.2 goes from left section to right section at each row
- Okular:
   * auto sort: offset in 1.1; jump from left to right at each row in 1.2
   * alpha sort: as expected
- Evince:
   * auto sort: 1.1 jumps to Additional notes at Ex3 row; jump from left to right at each row in 1.2
   * alpha sort: still problematic, exact same as above

So I can see the difference best in Okular, but other readers seem to automatically handle things better (Firefox) and/or don't improve with manual sort (Evince, Firefox).

Which reader have you used to test the export?

Comment 9 Steve 2024-05-23 08:48:12 UTC

(In reply to Stéphane Guillou (stragu) from comment #8)

> Which reader have you used to test the export?

Adobe Reader. I know it's not open source but it has always behaved the best for me (especially for form filling), and is generally trusted and installed for my user base, which includes in-house professionals as well as clients from the general public.

I would not recommend a reader that did not support my tab order. It's important to me.

If this is not important to anyone else, however, don't do it just for me. I can get by manually sorting as I do today. It's tedious but hardly difficult.

Comment 10 QA Administrators 2024-05-24 03:17:39 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)

[Automated Action] NeedInfo-To-Unconfirmed