[Dropped] Find words not working

[Gadefejer]

When using Ctrl+F in the OO writer it mostly doesn't find all the instances.

I'm working on a larger document (120 pages) and the function is important to remember many details.
I've tried to reset the user profile, but it did not have any impact. The problem is the same on three different computers, so I believe it's maybe a bug in OO or something with the Ctrl+F function I have missed.

It's unstable in a way, that it doesn't find instances when I open, but sometimes after a while it suddenly can find the instances.
Hope there is a soulution for this.

[Zizi64]

OpenOffice 4 Windows 11

Please inform us about the full version number of your AOO.
And please upload a small, ODF type sample file here.

Check the settings: Caps (Capitals) option and others...
Try to rename 8reset) the User profile of the AOO...

This feature works and worked for me in all of used AOO and LO versions.


(and try the LibreOffice...)

[RoryOF]

It takes some time for a recently opened OpenOffice file to stabilise behind the scenes, particularly if there are many fields, an index or comments, as the layout engine is working away quietly doing its job.

Also, Find and Replace is affected by remembered settings in the "More options" dropdown. If one has been searching for paragraph marks, the "regular expressions" selection may still be in force. Find and Replace is also affected by the "Match case" and "Whole words only" selections.

[Gadefejer]

It is OpenOffice 4.1.14 but the problem has been there in previous version too, because I have worked on the document for some years.
I have tried several options in the search function, caps and others - mostly I have all options unchecked.
I tried to solve it by installing Libre office, but it was also unstable.
I have also tried to copy the content to a new document.
Could it be unstability due to large documents, for example related to a cache fundtion?

[RoryOF]

I have just tried Find and Replace on two documents, one of 350000 words, the other of 570,000 words. It worked well, as soon as the page count had stabilised.

[Gadefejer]

I will try to see if I can regocnize this pattern in my document. Is there a way to be sure the page count has stabilised or to provoked it to update? I have tried ctrl-s but it didn't do it.

[RoryOF]

One can see the page count in the Status Bar (bottom bar of OpenOffice window - turn on by /View /Status Bar); on a large file such as I note above the page count (A5 pages) is 2280 in one case and 850 in the other.

Text entry early in a file may cause a "ripple through" effect as the inserted text causes re-layout, particularly if only one Page Style (usually Default") is used in the entire document. It is useful to break a text into Chapters, using defined Page Style changes at the start of each Chapter.

Note that Index Marks and other field usages may slow the re-layout of a document.

[Gadefejer]

I have noticed it mostly find instances in the end of the document, but when I open I see no counting just 1/120 in the button left corner.

I have used same text format and just bold text when starting new chapters, but will try to look at the Page Style ability. It's not a English version, so it always takes longer time to find the functions.
Thanks for your suggestions.

[RoryOF]

There are many works on formatting long documents in either OpenOffice or LibreOffice; the "Writer for Students" reference (2nd URL) is relatively brief.

See the file referenced in this posting for an overview of the use of Styles
Structure Instructions

This document may also be informative:
Writer for students (several languages)

PDF of it at
http://openoffice-uni.org

This document covers much the same ground as the previous document. It will be helpful for those writing a book
http://documentation.openoffice.org/whi ... th_OOo.odt

Bruce Byfield's new book, Designing with LibreOffice, also covers Apache OpenOffice. It focuses on the use of styles and templates, mainly in Writer but with some info on Calc, Impress, and Draw.

A PDF of the book, and/or a zip file of the chapter ODTs, can be downloaded free from the book's website. If you prefer, you can buy a printed copy. http://designingwithlibreoffice.com

Another work on writing and formatting a book in LibreOffice is
To Tame a Writer

For Macs, there is much useful information in
Tutorial] Mac FAQ

The above documents cover most of the routine formatting of a book-text using Open- or Libre-Office.

[Gadefejer]

Great. I will study your links!

[JeJe]

Try the AltSearch extension

https://extensions.openoffice.org/en/pr ... -altsearch

[Gadefejer]

I will try the AltSearch. Meanwhile I have seen there is an Option/Memory and wonder if it could help to increase cache.

[RoryOF]

The memory setting will change nothing. Alt Search is much slower and _much_ more complex than Find and Replace. If you cannot get Find and Replace to work reliably, I doubt you will succeed with AltSearch.

[JeJe]

I'm working on a larger document (120 pages) and the function is important to remember many details.

What do you mean by that? Maybe there's another way like setting bookmarks?

[RoryOF]

I use comments (/Insert /Comment) and named Chapters, using the Navigator (F5 key) to move to either.

[Gadefejer]

I am writing on a novel and switching between times (past and present) and ideas. It's not just bookmarks and places, I know I have to get back to and update text, it's often also that I need to check previous details in sceenes, so I search on specific words I can remember I used. Hope it make sense.

[RoryOF]

There are applications called Writer's Assistants, or Writer's Organisers. These allow one to keep track of character, scenes, time flows etc. I don't use one myself, but it might be worth your while to look into them. Two I know of are oStoryBook and Manuskript; there are others - a search on the two terms I have used earlier will throw up other possibilities.

[Gadefejer]

Thanks for suggestions. I have seen people talking about different organiser programs in writers groups. I prefer to think that I know the plot well enough to do without. I also believe I would easily spend much time and get lost in programs instead of writing to story. Early I decided just to have simple documents with characters and headline episodes and to use OO calc as timeline tool. So I just write and it's mostly details, where I need to get back and search, also because I have several months where I don't write. It's my first manuskript and I plan to rewrite the text several times, before I send it to a publisher.

[JeJe]

Have you seen the Organon extension?

https://extensions.openoffice.org/en/project/organon

Perhaps the "Text Tools: " described might do some of what you want?

https://github.com/XRoemer/Organon

[Gadefejer]

It's interesting but I think my way is to keep it as simple tech as possible.

[JeJe]

You probably know these, but in case you don't, there are Reminders where you mark positions in the document using the Navigator pane (cleared when you close though)

https://wiki.openoffice.org/wiki/Docume ... _Navigator

And with the Window menu/new Window you can have different parts of the document open in different windows at the same time.

[Gadefejer]

I have never seen these, but it looks useful. I will look into it tomorrow.

[RoryOF]

This reply may be of help
viewtopic.php?p=476978#p476978

[robleyd]

In relation to the 'Find not working' perhaps viewtopic.php?p=466919#p466919