Bug 33173 - Tabbed UI (Writer): Division/section-per-tab (similar to Lotus WordPro)
Summary: Tabbed UI (Writer): Division/section-per-tab (similar to Lotus WordPro)
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version: 3.6.5.2 release
Hardware: All All
: high enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
: 37806 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2011-01-15 16:23 UTC by Todd
Modified: 2014-11-05 15:08 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
i915 platform:
i915 features:


Attachments
example of "Divider Tabs" (29.42 KB, image/jpeg)
2011-01-15 16:23 UTC, Todd
Details
Example of WordPro tabbed Divisions (5.20 KB, image/png)
2012-07-04 17:17 UTC, bugzillafan
Details
screenshot of Libreoffice with several document opened as tabs (47.13 KB, image/png)
2014-11-05 14:59 UTC, sasha.libreoffice
Details

Description Todd 2011-01-15 16:23:16 UTC
Created attachment 42090 [details]
example of "Divider Tabs"

This is a hold over enhancement request from OO:
http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=20701

I really love Lotus WordPro's tabbed divisions and tabbed sections ("Divider tabs"), which basically allow you to maneuver around long and complex documents very easily.  There is no similar feature in Writer, though the Navigator has some of that functionality.

Across the top of the document are a series of tabs each representing
a different section/subsection of the document.  The tabs are created
and named as you select Create>Division or Create>Section from the
menu.

Tab one might be called "Introduction" and have several nested
Subsections; the next main tab might be called BODY and contain
subdivisions each containing both a chapter and even subsections
themselves dividing the chapters up.  footnotes/endnotes can then be
created in a separate Bibliography division etc...

What is being asked for here is "Divider tabs".  The dividers are in
the SAME document, not separate documents as in Firefox.  It is a way
of quickly going to chapters, etc. in your document.

From Word Pro's help file:
    Divider tabs represent divisions and sections in a document. 
    They can be used to structure a document and reveal its 
    organization at a glance. Word Pro does not display divider
    tabs by default; you can display them by clicking the icon 
    on your workspace.

"Divider tabs" are an EXTREMELY powerful productivity tool.  They
are the main reason I have delayed switching from Word Pro to
Libre Office Writer.

Please consider creating this type of interface Feature.

Many thanks,
-T
Comment 1 Björn Michaelsen 2011-12-23 11:43:47 UTC
[This is an automated message.]
This bug was filed before the changes to Bugzilla on 2011-10-16. Thus it
started right out as NEW without ever being explicitly confirmed. The bug is
changed to state NEEDINFO for this reason. To move this bug from NEEDINFO back
to NEW please check if the bug still persists with the 3.5.0 beta1 or beta2 prereleases.
Details on how to test the 3.5.0 beta1 can be found at:
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA/BugHunting_Session_3.5.0.-1

more detail on this bulk operation: http://nabble.documentfoundation.org/RFC-Operation-Spamzilla-tp3607474p3607474.html
Comment 2 Todd 2011-12-30 21:08:45 UTC
Please consider this request under the new 3.5.  It will add a lot of productivity to LO.

Many thanks,
-T
Comment 3 sasha.libreoffice 2012-02-23 03:17:59 UTC
As I understand, we insert Bookmarks using Insert->Bookmark, and they appear in specific toolbar as tabs.
IMHO it can be implemented using Basic macro.

@ Todd
My be such functionality exist somewhere among OpenOffice extensions. Please, verify.
Comment 4 Todd 2012-02-24 22:09:14 UTC
(In reply to comment #3)
> As I understand, we insert Bookmarks using Insert->Bookmark, and they appear in
> specific toolbar as tabs.
> IMHO it can be implemented using Basic macro.
> 
> @ Todd
> My be such functionality exist somewhere among OpenOffice extensions. Please,
> verify.

Hi Sasha,

   Did not find an applicable extension.

   Would you please look at the attachment I added:
       https://bugs.freedesktop.org/attachment.cgi?id=42090

   The functionality trumps bookmarks by leaps and bounds.  So much so that I find myself in the dilapidated Word Pro instead of LO because I can not have my Division Tabs.  And you can not right click on misspelled words either -- a big pain in the neck -- in Word Pro, but the Divider Tabs so trumps anything LO has that I stay in Word Pro.  Oh Ya, I indeed want it all!  (Pesky users!)

   Please consider adding Divider Tabs to LO.

Many thanks,
-T
Comment 5 sasha.libreoffice 2012-02-24 22:24:23 UTC
Thanks for additional search.
Comment 6 bugzillafan 2012-07-04 17:11:18 UTC
As a longtime Lotus WordPro user trying to migrate to LO Writer, I have to say that it is hugely frustrating not to have an equivalent to the tabbed Divisions function found in WordPro.  The WordPro Divisions can be easily created, copied, move, or deleted, and the user can name or color them for easy reference.  The tabs are always in view at the top of the screen, making it a snap for the user to quickly move around in the various divisions of a document.  Having absolutely depended on the WordPro Divisions functionality to when writing my book, I can only say with regret that there is no way on earth I'd choose LO for such a project if I had to do it all over again now.  

LO has many excellent features and I'm very much in favor of its continued growth and success, but I'm afraid the lack of this sort of tabbed Division function is a real deficiency in an otherwise great program.  Please make this a priority in your program improvements.

Thank you.
Comment 7 bugzillafan 2012-07-04 17:17:58 UTC
Created attachment 63836 [details]
Example of WordPro tabbed Divisions

This image shows the tabbed Divisions in WordPro.  They have been given custom colors and namees in order to make it easy and fast to move around in the document.  They would be a HUGE improvement in LO.  Please make this an urgent project.  Thanks.
Comment 8 Todd 2012-07-04 17:44:33 UTC
Hi All,

   I am the original poster.  Would you please consider adding this feature to the next release of Libre Office?  It would be a HUGE performance improvement.  It would also make a ton of converts from Word Pro and earn you their undying gratitude.  And, with you guys tremendous talent, it should be an easy and fun project.

Many thanks,
-T
Comment 9 Todd 2012-07-04 21:49:57 UTC
Oops.  You guys changed this behavior for the better.  This is not a bug.  Please disregard
Comment 10 sasha.libreoffice 2012-07-06 06:21:18 UTC
Changing status to New
It is obvious that tabs are useful. May programs have them. For example Kate, Gimp 2.8, Firefox.
IMHO LibreOffice has internals for rendering tabs, because they are in Calc. 
But needed to create new pane for Writer where tabs will live.
Comment 11 alubrutaru 2013-03-04 00:03:12 UTC
Pleeeeaaaaseeee add tabs feature! It's very useful and because it's so common in a lot of programs, it became a habit, a "by default" way of working.

Thank you for LibreOffice
Comment 12 alubrutaru 2013-03-04 00:05:21 UTC
Pleeeeaaaaseeee add tabs feature! It's very useful and because it's so common in a lot of programs, it became a habit, a "by default" way of working.

Thank you for LibreOffice
Comment 13 Todd 2013-03-05 03:51:09 UTC
(In reply to comment #12)
> Pleeeeaaaaseeee add tabs feature! It's very useful and because it's so
> common in a lot of programs, it became a habit, a "by default" way of
> working.
> 
> Thank you for LibreOffice

I second that request.  I still use Word Pro for no other reason other than the division tabs
Comment 14 Rodolfo 2013-03-12 05:09:56 UTC
So every section would automatically generate a tab?
Or you could select what section creates a tab?

And how these nested tabs would work? In different "rows"?
Comment 15 Todd 2013-03-12 18:38:21 UTC
(In reply to comment #14)
> So every section would automatically generate a tab?
> Or you could select what section creates a tab?

We want to place them manually where we want them
 
> And how these nested tabs would work? In different "rows"?

----> January                    February
    |                            |
    --> Week 1; week 2; week 3    week1; week 2

Just in a row underneath.

Nesting never worked very well in Word Pro.  Would be ecstatic if you only got the tabs working.   No need to get fancy with the nesting right away.
Comment 16 Björn Michaelsen 2014-01-17 00:43:55 UTC
(This is an automated message.)

LibreOffice development currently prioritizes bugs with the so called MAB (most annoying bugs) -- as this bug has not run through that process (including writing a short rationale for this bug being a candidate and other who are watching the tracker bug silently approving that rationale etc.) its priority is set to high. Note this is effectively no change in the urgency assigned to this bug, as we are currently not making a difference between high and highest and severity is untouched.

You can find out more about MABs and how the process works by contacting libreoffice qa on irc:

 http://webchat.freenode.net/?channels=libreoffice-qa

The QA wiki page also gives you hints on how to get in contact with the team (if IRC fails you, your next best choice is the mailing list):

 https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/QA
Comment 17 Owen Genat 2014-07-26 10:37:07 UTC
*** Bug 37806 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 18 Owen Genat 2014-09-15 11:26:57 UTC
Summary amended for clarity.
Comment 19 Todd 2014-11-04 18:45:16 UTC
Dear Libre Office Developers,

Guys!  Ignoring this is an absolute DISASTER!

I just found out the hard way that RHEL 7 and its clones are 64 bit only and that it no longer will run 32 bit Windows apps under Wine, meaning no Word Pro under Wine.  I could switch to Libre Office on this system, but the PERFORMANCE HIT on loosing the Division Tabs is SO GREAT that I will instead RIP OUT RHEL7 and install Fedora.

Wow!  What a pain in the neck (not my exact word)!  This is how much of a performance hit you are causing by IGNORING THIS REQUEST.  PLEASE STOP DRAGGING YOUR FEET!  This was request on 2011-01-15!  This isn't funny anymore!

Yours frustratingly so,
-T
Comment 20 sasha.libreoffice 2014-11-05 14:59:57 UTC
Created attachment 108964 [details]
screenshot of Libreoffice with several document opened as tabs
Comment 21 roland 2014-11-05 15:08:54 UTC
Documents opened as tabs is a _totally_ unrelated animal.  You presented a fish and this bug is talking about a tiger.

Lotus WordPro, and another commercial product currently on the market, had tabbed document sections.  You could drag&drop the tabs to visually re-order a book or some other document.  You could control which tabs were included in print jobs (so your research notes didn't get printed with your manuscript.)

Many authors and technical writers use the tabbed document sections to contain a chapter, TOC, index, research, to-do lists, etc.  When you want to work on any particular section you click on the tab and work on it.

The massive difference here is that everything is in a single data file.  What currently exists is an unworkable concession of having 90+ files in a single directory.  Very easy for catastrophe to strike.


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