Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Hi, I used Open Writer a lot as my main word processor, but it does have some infuriating poorly thought-out features. If you search for something, with Ctrl-F, it often seems not to click into the search box, and if you're not careful you have written something you were going to search for into the document and not into the search box. In fact, you often have to press Ctrl F three times to get it to click into the search box. How can you get CtrlF to always land you in the search box so that you can start typing your search query without messing up your document?

I tried a few times with my ancient keyboard in AOO 4.1.16 and it opened the Search box immediately every single time. So, it may not be particular to OpenOffice. Maybe the Ctrl+F combo doesn't work very well anymore for you due to wear and tear of your keyboard. Does it also happen with Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V? Maybe you hit Ctrl, release it without noticing it, and then press F. I used to press Ctrl+A when I really needed Shift+A and then lost a lot of text at the next keystroke. Just saying. We all make mistakes.
As we can't come to you to look over your shoulder to discover what's wrong, you will have to monitor carefully what exactly happens just before you find yourself typing in the main document instead of the search box.

No, it has nothing to do with my keyboard. And yes, the Search box does open immediately each time, but the thing is that the cursor is not put in the search box. So the search dialogue opens, but unless you specifically click into the place where you need to type your search, you will be typing in the main document. This is just an error by Apache.

This is just an error by Apache.

Use the LibreOffice
https://www.libreoffice.org/download/do ... breoffice/

An Open file, followed by an immediate Ctrl F may fail, as OpenOffice is in the background repaginating the file and doing other housekeeping matters.

Once the file has opened and the background processing has ceased, for me CTRL F always opens the F&R dialog and places the cursor in the Search box.

djwebb1969 wrote: ↑Wed Mar 25, 2026 12:46 am No, it has nothing to do with my keyboard. And yes, the Search box does open immediately each time, but the thing is that the cursor is not put in the search box. So the search dialogue opens, but unless you specifically click into the place where you need to type your search, you will be typing in the main document. This is just an error by Apache.

I can't remember that ever happened to me.

djwebb1969 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2026 11:02 pm If you search for something, with Ctrl-F, it often seems not to click into the search box …

I've used OpenOffice (beginning with 3.0 and currently 4.1.7) since 2010 and don't recall that I've ever experienced that difficulty. ⌘F (MacOS equivalent to Ctrl+F) always opens the Find dialog and puts the focus in the Search for field.

djwebb1969 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2026 11:02 pm … you often have to press Ctrl F three times to get it to click into the search box.

In 15 years I'm quite sure I've never had that problem in any of the versions I've installed.

djwebb1969 wrote: ↑Tue Mar 24, 2026 11:02 pm This is just an error by Apache.

Since I don't have those problems on MacOS, perhaps your problems are related to your operating system or it's configuration. I am not familar with your operating system and cannot offer any further advice.

In your signature, it wrote:Open Office 4.1.14, Ubuntu 20

Sure about this?
Ubuntu don't provide AOO in its repositories

Maybe the replies I got relate to some other version than the Ubuntu 20 version of Open Office. I'm now using open Office 4.1.15 for Ubuntu 20.