Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Hi I'm hoping someone can help - I'm getting
Format error discovered in the file in sub-document content.xml at 2,3304(row,col)
I'd just done a significant revision of my Phd main essay text and it crashed.
Any advice appreciated. I have checked advice in previous posts, followed the paths into appdata and only found 0kb versions.
I thought the autosave was sufficient, but it appears not.
C

Hi and welcome to the forum!

See this query.
There are some instructions to fix such issue. If you don't feel the courage, you'll have to upload the file somewhere so that we can have a look.

Thanks
I'll have a look at get back if I get stuck
Chris

Please work on a copy of your file, a copy made at system level. If you make a mistake and damage the copy, then there is the original available for expert examination.

Hi
I'm not confident that I understand what to do and I'm not too proud to ask for help
I'm attaching the file and hoping you can do something.
Chris

Please try the attached file

Try this version.

Wow I can't thank you enough! You will get a mention in the Acknowledgements! I had had a good session today and put quite a lot of good words in...
Chris

I thought the autosave was sufficient, but it appears not.

AutoSave isn't what you appear to think it is; it is in fact called Save AutoRecovery Information and saves the information that allows AOO to recover your open documents if AOO is terminated unexpectedly. It DOES NOT replace a normal save, either via Ctrl+S, File | Save or the save icon on your toolbar.

Any important documents should be backed up regularly; you might consider installing the Timestamped backup extension, which will allow you to make multiple, timestamped backups of your document. Note that this must be invoked separately from your normal Save.

Tools > Options > Load/Save > Create a backup copy ..., does create a backup copy.

John_Ha wrote:Tools > Options > Load/Save > Create a backup copy ..., does create a backup copy.

Agreed, John, but it doesn't save multiple backups. For any serious work, and one's thesis, or (God help us!) The Great American Novel, must surely be considered serious works, multiple backups must surely be of importance, at least covering the last few editing sessions, if not continuously from the commencement of the work.

Agreed too, but ...

... using AOO automatically to save one backup of the previous version of every file will do 99.9% of what any user needs and stop us having to repair so many files.

If I had my way, it would be enabled by default so as to protect users.

Hi
I've installed the backup you suggest.
What should I do to my document to stop it locking up again?
Chris

cfremantle wrote:What should I do to my document to stop it locking up again?

It's an AOO bug Issue 127745 - Read Error: Format error discovered ... at n,nnnn (row,col) which has now been fixed for release in the next release.

I can force the bug by

• having Edit > Record changes set ON, and
• deleting two or more comments where each comment is attached to a range of text

Hi
Yes I kind of got that reading through, but what I'm wondering is what remedial action to take?
Save it as a doc and use Word?
I can't turn off track changes (supervisors need to see), but if I 'accept changes' on all the deleted notes, or don't delete notes, I can avoid the issue?
Chris

It's actually Issue 128356 - Track Changes and Annotations on text range can cause corruption. Applies to 4.x (all versions?) which has been fixed.

cfremantle wrote:I'm wondering is what remedial action to take?

Switch Edit > Record changes to OFF ..., before deleting any comments attached to a range of text. Then switch it back ON.

Or use LibreOffice where the bug has already been fixed. fred.odt in the bug report is correctly handled by LO but is corrupted by AOO.

Many thanks
Presumably 'undeleting' comments might also work if I needed to keep them?
Chris

cfremantle wrote:Presumably 'undeleting' comments might also work if I needed to keep them?

I don't know. Try it with a test file.