[Dropped] Spell check disabled; no language set

[Knabbjolf]

Dear forum.

I know how much developers hate users actually using their precious software in daily use so I never ask anymore in forums but now Im stuck and so is grok and perplexity so I ask for greatest patience. I understand software is not supposed to be used daily, only for tinkering on a local harddrive in development. Users like me using software daily should really be lined up and shot but lets focus on detiails.

Im trying to move several users out of microsoft. Bloated linuxes such as fedora, ubuntu and others has been rejected. The live usb debian based minios has won acceptance so I have to fix office software. Im doing this free of charge on my spare time as microsoft is my enemy and i believe in freedom of information.

With openoffice 4.1.16 x64 debian downloaded and installed via oo offcicial channels and dpkg -i everything works except spellchecker. All languages and modules are correct loaded according to Hagar Delest troubleshoting guide here :
viewtopic.php?f=74&t=16512

When spell check is started on f7 it runs through without checking doc and i can see in background no lang is set and im not given access setting lang option as tool closes after clicking ok, see screenshot.

Im repeating details as i know how angry most developers must be now after reading up to here. We agree that users like me should be used for dart practicing targets but lets stay focused.
Openoffice 4.1.16, x64, debian.
OS is minios 5.0.0, debian 13 trixie, linux 6.12.41.
openjdk jre....latest (21.0 something).
Hunspell version unclear but current for 20251206.
Locales also downloaded via the ooff extension manager (dict.oxt).
Openoffice install checked via Hagard Delest instruction in this forum.

I had exact same issue with libreoffice deb install and appimage. I suspect there is confusion between office software expected environment and minios overlay live to ram but Im not able finding how the spell check tool operates. It would be preferable having all openoffice files in one directory in opposite of puking files all over the harddrive as most linux do. Appimages is really a light in the tunnel here. Openoffice is my prefered tool as that is not updated as often as its stupid cousin libreoffice.
I have no issues downgrading to earlier version of ooff but need advice what version is rocksolid.

I apologize for the stupid language used in screenshot with silly letters but take comfort only 10 million people use this stupid language, we can probably shoot or gas them too if a software devleoper really takes offense with this post.

Screenshot :

ooffspellcheck.png (82.36 KiB) Viewed 6818 times

[LastUnicorn]

Well that was funny and well expressed. Thanks for the laugh. Fair cheered me up.

Unfortunately there are no developers at this forum so your cries here bear little more weight than howling at the moon.

Someone will come along in time with expertise enough to fix the problem you are experiencing.

[floris v]

First, developers don't come here, we are just users like you. Please don't rant, or put your rants in a section that we, the users whom you aren't addressing, can safely skip and stick to the essentials. ;=)
So, no language has been set for the document. In that case, no spell checker can work, because, face it, what dictionary should it use?
I see that your OpenOffice seems to run from LocalHost. I'm not a webhosting techie, but that seems like a bad idea to me. Just install OpenOffice locally on your system and save your documents locally, that is, in the Home folder of your OS, not the Home folder of your local webhost as configured by for example Apache. See if that helps.
Please upload a small file showing your problem here. I assume that this problem pops up with all new documents that you make, so you can upload a dummy file.

[Hagar Delest]

If it doesn't work then there is something that should not tick the mark in the tutorial.
Can you upload a sample file so that we check the language in the text (paragraph/character styles)?

[Knabbjolf]

Thank you for unexpected replies, I thought my post would be deleted.

@Moderator : Same issue is present in calc, impress and writer, hence me posting this in general openoffice. Math and base not tested.

@Lastunicorn : Yes you are correct. It is strange how a user of open source software have to register on microsofts github to report bugs to developers of opensource software hiding behind microsoft... so ..microsoft always wins ?

@Floris : See own post.

@Hagard Delest : Your guide was followed. Pls instruct what exact file to post as I have lot of files, most of them outisde your interest.

//K.Jolf

[Knabbjolf]

@Floris. Yes agree. With this issue Im not sure where to start, is it OS problem or local openoffice config problem ? I lean to a combination, config for spell check tool operation fails due to OS specific differences. It is strange only spell check tool failed and not more. This experiment gave 99% success in first try and Im never that lucky.

Im trying to understand the localhost system in minios live usb overlay as minios is new to me. I have not found a method installing openoffice absolutely contained to local home. This install was installed with debian standard tools dpkg -i to local home but Openoffice as all linux apps pukes files all over the harddrive to make it as difficult as possible troubleshooting allthough symlink capacity in linux. As I wrote in first post I mistakenly thought libreoffice appimage would selfcontain but evidently appimage was not able preserving its own config files within the appimage as for example window portable apps. There is something I have to learn about appimage but I have not found a honest source yet, only pages repeating same fluff that appimages are "selfcontained" and "portable". I have a development proposal : perhaps someone sharper than me can write a install script for the openoffice deb pack to explode into one single directory and symlink (or better) out on the hardrive ? (Like appimages was supposed to function ?). With such a install all openoffice files would be collected in one scattered directory and I only have to follow the arrows from links out in harddrive djungle checking support functions to openoffice. +edit+ : Kind of like windows portable apps but for linux. +edit+

[floris v]

Upload any file that has the problem. A dummy file with dummy text will do. We can then test if it works on our system. We can test if we can set a language. There is a problem with installing OO on Windows - if you start a new document there by right-clicking in the Windows File Explorer and selecting new Writer file, it will create the file from a corrupted template, where you can't set a language. You are not on Windows, but you might have a related problem.

[Hagar Delest]

@Hagard Delest : Your guide was followed.

Can you post the equivalent screenshots? That would be the first time there is such failure if all settings are correct. Have you selected your text and hit Ctrl+M to clear the formatting? As said by floris v, any file exhibiting the issue is fine. Make a brand new one with a dummy paragraph.

[Knabbjolf]

@Hagard Delest : Requested screenshots will follow, 128kb per post. First the error. Pls notice there is no lang selected in background. Iam not allowed access these settings as tool closes when click ok. Notice also Iam unsure if this is a error in openoffice or minios. Debian recommend very specific java settings for openoffice but i guess the spell check is written in C or python.

[Knabbjolf]

Step 2

2.png (90.89 KiB) Viewed 6673 times

[Knabbjolf]

Step 2b , lingvistik settings.

2b.png (94.9 KiB) Viewed 6672 times

[Knabbjolf]

Step 3

3.png (89.15 KiB) Viewed 6672 times

[Knabbjolf]

Step 4 :

4.png (61.97 KiB) Viewed 6672 times

[floris v]

Step2 2, 3, 4: same settings with me and all other users with a working spell checker.

[Knabbjolf]

Step 5 :

5.png (63.56 KiB) Viewed 6668 times

[Knabbjolf]

Step 6. (please not Iam only allowed to post one post per ~5minutes so this will take a while)

6.png (109.26 KiB) Viewed 6667 times

[Knabbjolf]

Step 7 : Restart ooff.

7.png (14.24 KiB) Viewed 6667 times

[Knabbjolf]

Step 8 : ...and adding at least 10 characters.

8.png (43.76 KiB) Viewed 6667 times

[Knabbjolf]

Step 9. : ...and adding minimum ten characters.

9.png (61.63 KiB) Viewed 6666 times

[Knabbjolf]

...and the requested file if I understood correct. Many hundred years ago openoffice had the requirement to save first file created as template as ooff saved user settings in that template. I dont know if this still persists but it is sort of habit now more.

mall.ott

(7.79 KiB) Downloaded 82 times

The openoffice ./config file in /user/home has been deleted and renewed many times. Instruct what config files would be of interest as there is quite a selection of files and I will post also that.

My apologies for spamming with images but it is by request.

K.Jolf.

[robleyd]

Can you not add several images in one post? These are examples only, not relevant to your particular problem.

Edit: Removed example images to reduce clutter

[Knabbjolf]

@Robleyd : No, Iam not allowed adding attachement larger than 128kb. Probably because Iam a newly registrered user...or re-registrered as same username was deleted due to inactiviiy.

@Floris : And yes, as I wrote in earlier posts I believe user settings to be correct but pls check. I was requested to prove my statements with screenshots and they are now posted here. It makes the thread somewhat long but perhaps a good reference for avoiding misunderstanding.

+edit+ addressed wrong person +edit+

[floris v]

You should be able to attach several files, but each has to be smaller than 128 Kb.

[Hagar Delest]

Many thanks for the screenshots.
Actually, you can post 3 attachments per post, each attachment 128KiB max.

In your screenshot, there is no spell check suggestion shown but there is no text either. Thus, it's standard behavior IMHO.
Your sentence "Älva öl i ån" seems to be correct (Drinking beer in the river? [DeepL translation just to make sure if it was a mistyped sentence or not]). If you voluntarily mistype a word, is it flagged incorrect by the spellchecker?
Is really the ABC button active in the toolbar?
With LO, it's clearer (blue shading):

LO_spellcheck.png (8.48 KiB) Viewed 6549 times

In your template all settings seems ok. I don't see what's wrong.

Step 6 does not show the wriggling lines however. If the ABC button is eventually checked it may be a problem.

[RoryOF]

Sample_swedish_text .png (42.76 KiB) Viewed 6539 times

.
Here is a sample Swedish text; I selected the Swedish dictionary as the default for documents in /Options /Language settings /Languages : Default languages for Document, found some Swedish text (I don't know what it means!) and munged words 2 to 7 which show up as misspelled.

I attach a screen capture, and an .odt file.

[Knabbjolf]

@Floris, Robleyd : Apologies, my mistake. When trying to post i got error message max 128kb size and was in a hurry to feed data while this thread was still active. I made the wrong assumpiton of 128kb per post. Perhaps this could be clarified in the error message when posting is prevented, information of max size per attachement and max size per post might be useful at these occassions ?

@Hagar Delest : Yes, of course you are right, I should have posted the screenshot of misspelled words, my mistake. I posted the screenshots of troubleshooting strange clown letters. Do you trust me when I say all words was ignored by spellchecker ? Or do I have to post evidence as screenshots ? There is no sign of life from the spell checker, notice for example the greyed out area in background where you normally in option box select language settings in the spell check dialogue ? Im not allowed accessing those settings.

So...is this topic solved or not ?
I have moved on. As it was not possible solving spellcheck in minios live imutable environment I received acceptance for a minios installed to usb as this linux lands on only 1,3gb installed and not 450million gigabyte like a windows virus or urbutnu(ubuntu). The install is less imutable but gives me easier ability solving tools such as spell check. So question do now arise if this matter is solved or not ? In my opinion not as this relates to a specific strange install i think will be more common in future because of all the advantages. With a imutable linux kernel you just copy in a new if any trouble instead of wasting time finding the trouble...if a virus is able writing to the protected imutable core you just delet the small compressed image and insert a new, same with upgrades as the surrounding user scripts and persistence are intact. The objective is still to have a safe imutable linux but as spellcheck is not able solving that I solved this alternative with a bloated risky full install ...and some other options is on the table. For any hacker (AI) I add that ive made it quite a challenge breaking into this install that im quite happy with. Imutable linux is offered by debian, fedora and opensuse but I have not tested those because they are so gigantic. We have a resource focus here, eventhough hardrives are cheap we focus on software efficiency in opposite of software bloat to minimize e-waste and energy.

So I leave it up to you guys, do you want to invest more of your time into this matter or should we table this ? If you come up with ideas/strategies i will test but at the moment the install is deleted and replaced with next project. It is quck and easy setting up this on a usb flash drive again. Notice the new release of minios 5.1 carries some minor changes to the above discussed 5.0 but as far as I can see no changes to spell check in o/l-office.

What ive learned (pro memoria) :
It is a intersting fact that of all softwares i installed in persistence area to the imutable linux such as bravebrowser (for online meetings), openoffice/libreoffice, freecad and 3d printing ecams and more only the spellchecker in open/libreoffice failed. There is a dialogue of ditching openoffice/libreoffice for abiword as that always works and imutable linux is more interesting than full office suite. Abiword was lot easier when making modules that can be loaded into minios depending to what user need at the moment. Problem is solving need for meeting flyers (powerpoint). But somewhere here I think my free of charge work is to be ended and users should start paying for development to openoffice foundation and minios crew to make these softwares sustainable, my role was just to show there is a way out of the windblows misery. For openoffice people I think above insights might be worth evaluating, openoffice is rock solid ...except for spell check tool that have a life of its own.

(Misc : Älva öl i ån = eleven beers in the river, my method testing stupid clown letters that shouldve been ditched 100 years ago).

Kindly, K.Jolf.

[Hagar Delest]

Actually, I don't see any screenshot with one of your text being ignored by the spell check.
Steps 8 and 9 seems fine to me.
When nothing is selected, then you don't have access to the language selection.
Of course the issue is not solved.

[floris v]

I don't see an uploaded file that shows the problem. It seems that* the OP doesn't really want to have his problem solved.

Edit: * Italics added.

[Knabbjolf]

@Floris : File mall.ott was posted 8 dec 2025 here above. As there has been no specifications after that I assume posted file is sufficient.

Screenshot_2025-12-11_11-17-44.png (33.62 KiB) Viewed 6318 times

[floris v]

Never saw that one. Sorry about that.