LibreOffice won't open documents

[DrMartinus]

Hi,

I'm running Manjaro Linux with KDE and keep it up to date. I started using StarOffice, then OpenOffice, and for some reason I switched to LibreOffice, which I increasingly regret, but getting back to OO is not possible due to a database I work with regularly, and it wouldn't be possible to use that with OO. I tried now to register with the LO-Forum (I actually thought I was registered there already, but they have changed a lot, it seems), but even though I have an account with the document foundation, I can't access the forum. Then I read someone's post that here would be a place to get answers regarding LO. Hence, I came here.
Now, I have the issue that LO doesn't open any odx-document (odt, ods...) As soon as a document shall be opened, LO freazes. I have this problem now since the middle of December and grow increasingly nervous, because I need to have access to my documents. I tried a lot of things and asked around, but there were no useful answers. The things I tried are as follows:

1. Access rights aren't the issue (I guess), because I can open my documents with OO or Calligra Words (for the above reasons I prefer not to switch back to OO, I also didn't change the files when I opened them with those apps)
2. The problem exists also when I use a completely new user profile
3. The problem exists also when I start LO in --safe-mode (should be equal to 2)
4. I can start LO and create a document, write some content, then save it. After I have closed it, I can't open it, or rather LO hangs, as soon as I try to open it.
5. If I start LO as superuser I can open the files (which would suggest an error in the configuration, but I have tried LO as regular user with a new profile with no success)
6. The problem exists in both versions still and fresh, 7.1.8-1 and 7.2.4-3
7. The problem exists since the major update of Manjaro in the middle of December (and the last update yesterday didn't change it)
8. I tried to get help from the Manjaro community, but they are clueless
9. I have created a text file with kate and LO was able to open it. Very strange, because it still can't open any native files (odt, ods...)
10. All files which I try to access have been created by LO or OO, rest in my home folder and some had been opened the day before the issue started.
11. I tried if the problem exists after uninstalling OO, which is the case.

I tried running LO with the parameter --record, but I get then only the message "Invalid option --ignore-nested", which is the message from rr which is used as debug tool. Since this option seems to be hard-coded, I seem to not to be able to get any insight into what happens with LO while it tries to open a document.
Maybe there are other ways to figure out what is going on - many apps give a lot of information when started from the CLI, while LO doesn't give any info...
Maybe someone here has an idea what could be wrong?

[Villeroy]

Code: Select all

libreoffice7.2 --safe-mode

Let it save your current user profile (under "Advanced") and see how it works in safe mode.

[Tutorial] The OpenOffice User Profile (applies to LO as well)

[DrMartinus]

I did that (see No. 3) and did it again now, it still behaves the same. It hangs when I try to open a document (the Open File window disappears before that, but then it's a lame duck). I can only kill it, there's no way to end it gracefully (basically, there is only the window frame visible).
Oh, sorry, I just noticed there was output at the CLI:

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Qt: Session management error: networkIdsList argument is NULL
kf.service.services: The desktop file "ServiceMenus/pdfcompr.desktop" references the action "Compress_PDF" but doesn't define it
kf.service.services: The desktop entry file "/usr/share/applications/qemu.desktop" has Type= "Application" but no Exec line
kf.service.sycoca: Invalid Service :  "/usr/share/applications/qemu.desktop"
kf.service.services: The desktop entry file "/home/drmartin/.local/share/applications/test-predicate-openinwindow.desktop" has Type= "Application" but no Exec line
kf.service.sycoca: Invalid Service :  "/home/drmartin/.local/share/applications/test-predicate-openinwindow.desktop"
Qt: Session management error: networkIdsList argument is NULL
Qt: Session management error: networkIdsList argument is NULL

[Villeroy]

Do you run the distributor's office, downloaded from libreoffice.org or some container package? I would prefer the one that comes with the distro.

[DrMartinus]

Yes, it's the one delivered by Manjaro. Right now, I have the still installed, which means 7.1.8.1

[Villeroy]

Try starting it like this and see what happens:

Code: Select all

SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gen libreoffice

[Villeroy]

Regarding the error messages, you better ask on a Manjaro forum.

[DrMartinus]

Try starting it like this and see what happens:

Code: Select all

SAL_USE_VCLPLUGIN=gen libreoffice

The same as before, as soon as I open a document, it hangs.

[Bill]

I just updated Manjaro KDE and LO does not hang when opening local files. Are your files local or on a removable drive or network? The uploaded CLI output doesn't show anything that I can relate directly to LO.

[RoryOF]

If you are trying to open files on a network server, try disabling /Tools /Options /Libreoffice Load-Save: Always create backup copy.

If that works, either you work out why the network won't allow backup copies be made (I have never been able to figure that out using Xubuntu) or you leave the setting disabled and establish your own backup routine - I use the timed/dated backup extension.

[DrMartinus]

I just updated Manjaro KDE and LO does not hang when opening local files. Are your files local or on a removable drive or network? The uploaded CLI output doesn't show anything that I can relate directly to LO.

The files are all local on my home drive, nothing unusual. Regarding the CLI output: it's related to some QT problem, which I try to solve seperately. I had the faint hope that it might give some clue. So far nobody was able to reproduce this, which makes it difficult for me, but I am grateful for every kind of input which may lead me on the right path. So far I am as clueless as everyone else. If it was a general problem which all programs would suffer, ok, but I can open the documents with OO or Calligra Words just fine. If it was a problem with file access rights, usually LO would spit out an error message, I think.

If you are trying to open files on a network server, try disabling /Tools /Options /Libreoffice Load-Save: Always create backup copy.

Even though I am not accessing the docs from a network drive I tried this, but had no effect.

[RoryOF]

Using Manjaro, can you as a test install and use some other desktop environment?

In Ubuntu, one can use Xubuntu (my preference), Gnome, KDE etc, and switch between them; there may be similar choices in Manjaro. Changing to another desktop might isolate the problem to a specific environment, at which stage the problem can be brought to the developers of that environment.

[DrMartinus]

I just made an observation that may be of help, but I'm not sure: When I tried to open a document, I need to force a shutdown of LO in order to bring it up again. Usually, then pops up the recovery window and asks if I want to recover the document "Untitled 1" (which is the empty one that is opened by default, like when creating a new document). Usually, I just clicked on "no", because I expected that it would hang again if I let it recover this empty document. This time accidentally I clicked on "yes" and let it "recover" the empty document. Now, in the titlebar it says "Untitled 1 (Remote)". So there may be a relation between your previous question and my problem, because the file is not remote, it's local, and the question would be, why LO thinks that it's remote. This may then also create a link to the CLI error output, because that refers to a network problem...

[RoryOF]

A quick test may be to physically disconnect from network (pull the network cable) then make/save/reopen a test file. If that is successful, we know for certain the file is local, and may suspect that your computer is in normal circumstances using a remote default template.

[DrMartinus]

Using Manjaro, can you as a test install and use some other desktop environment?

In Ubuntu, one can use Xubuntu (my preference), Gnome, KDE etc, and switch between them; there may be similar choices in Manjaro. Changing to another desktop might isolate the problem to a specific environment, at which stage the problem can be brought to the developers of that environment.

I tried now XFCE and Gnome, in both LO behaves the same like under KDE.

[DrMartinus]

A quick test may be to physically disconnect from network (pull the network cable) then make/save/reopen a test file. If that is successful, we know for certain the file is local, and may suspect that your computer is in normal circumstances using a remote default template.

Ok, I tried that. I could create and save a file (as before), but I could not open it. Before I disconnected the PC from the network, I made sure that there was no instance of Libreoffice active, so I started LO after the network connection was gone and went through the procedure. But after that, I couldn't get the network connection back, so I had to restart the PC.

[Bill]

I just made an observation that may be of help, but I'm not sure: When I tried to open a document, I need to force a shutdown of LO in order to bring it up again. Usually, then pops up the recovery window and asks if I want to recover the document "Untitled 1" (which is the empty one that is opened by default, like when creating a new document). Usually, I just clicked on "no", because I expected that it would hang again if I let it recover this empty document. This time accidentally I clicked on "yes" and let it "recover" the empty document. Now, in the titlebar it says "Untitled 1 (Remote)". So there may be a relation between your previous question and my problem, because the file is not remote, it's local, and the question would be, why LO thinks that it's remote. This may then also create a link to the CLI error output, because that refers to a network problem...

This is an LO bug:
Bug 124213 - A recovered document has "(Remote)" in the title

In my tests, (Remote) only appeared when a new document which had no autorecovery information was recovered. If the new document did have autorecovery information, then (Remote) did not appear in the Title Bar after recovery. However, this did not cause LO to hang for me.

[DrMartinus]

Thank you for that hint. This will disqualify it as a possible clue, because the recovered document is a document with no content, i.e. no recovery information.

I am still thinking about this: I can't open any documents with LibreOffice, but can open them with OpenOffice or Calligra Words. When I run LO as root, i.e. with admin rights, I can open the existing documents with no problems. When I run LO as a different user with no admin privileges, I can't open any documents (even those which I have just created with the same instance of LO, saved and closed), so that's the same as under my usual user name. What could cause such weird behaviour? It can't be the rights, because I can open them with any other software, and yet it behaves as if it were the rights.

[RoryOF]

It may be a rights issue in that your computer needs to be told that LibreOffice has better rights than it has at present: as I don't use any modern Windows Manjaro, I can give no specific information for a fix, but no doubt some Windows Manjaro user will help.

[Bill]

This problem is on Manjaro Linux with KDE, not Windows. Since Manjaro is a rolling release, it is more prone to update problems. When I was using Manjaro with KDE, I could usually find the fix for an update problem on the Manjaro forums, but did have to reinstall it once.

[DrMartinus]

I cannot imagine how LO can have its own rights in terms of accessing files. But I'm willing to learn.
I am afraid that reinstallation won't solve the problem (I reinstalled LO without any changes in its behaviour), and I am afraid to do a fresh installation (it takes a lot of time to get the system to the status where I had it at the time when I reinstalled, and that is why I use a rolling release now). I need to set it up again for network access, printers need to be configured, software which I use irregularly and is not in the standard installation needs to be reinstalled, etc. Unfortunately, I have not always kept a log of what I did, so I most likely stumble across misconfigurations and other stuff at times when it's least wanted. But I guess I need to do it. Worst thing would be that I end up with the same problem and many hours spent on setting up the system again.
I prefer finding out the cause of this problem, because this would help me to prevent it from happening again (who knows if it happens again some time later?). But I guess it's so weird that I don't find anyone who could help me get on the right track.

[RoryOF]

I installed Libreoffice 7.2 on a manjaro-xfce-21.2.0-211220-linux515 (running on external USB drive) and was able to write a simple Writer and a simple Calc file, and reopen these. All settings were "out of the box".

[RoryOF]

A useful diagnostic on linux is to start a program in a terminal and note what error messages are reported in the terminal. In the case of OpenOffice, one types openoffice4 (case is important). Try for LibreOffice on your machine: LibreOffice is 7.2, so to start it one types libreoffice7.2.

[DrMartinus]

I did that many times, there is no useful output, in fact there is no output at all. I tried also several parameters, but the maybe most helpful one (--record) returned an error, because the hard coded parameter which is sent by LO to the debug-tool rr is no longer valid.