Pressing F4 pops up data sources but no accompanying menu

wjp.reg

Hi;

Did a search to no avail. I'm using oo on WinXP / Suse 10.x / Ubuntu 5.10.

I'm having some success using the data source functions in the linux versions and am able to select records and populater address fields and merge codes.

When I am on my WInXP machine, however, I notice I don't have a data source menu when pressing F4 (the one positioned jsut above the data table, having buttons to sort, filter, merge,etc). I do have a data source connected to Outlook.

Is there something wrong with my installation, or is it not implemented (yet) in windows versions?

Thanks, your feedback is appreciated!

JohnV · Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2005 3:43 pm Post subject:

Yes it is implimented in Windows and you are the second person to report this within a week. Through a series of PMs I suggested a Repair which did not work and finally suggested a semi-drastic approach that did work.

EDIT 4/2/06 If your problem is that you are missing the "form letter" question when you when you click the Print icon for a document containing database fields then do not use this solution. Use this macro: http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?t=29127 END EDIT

Try this knowing that you will lose all your personal setting. To soften the blow you may want to save any personal macros to a text file using the save icon in the Basic IDE. I don't believe you will lose your databases but think you will need to re-register them. You may lose queries.

Shut down OOo including the Quick Starter. Find YOUR "user" directory. On W2K it's located within the OpenOffice.org2 directory at C:\Docs & Settings\UserName\Application Data\OpenOffice.org2\user. Rename it.

Fire up OOo and you will get the Welcome dialog. Once completed you will have a new user directory. If you have old preferences from 1.1.x you can try to let OOo import them and see if that works but if it doesn't then delete the new user folder and answer this prompt 'No' the second time around.

It appears this may be more than just an isolated issue so it could be very helpful to others if you would report you results.

saublewolf · Newbie Joined: 08 Oct 2005 Posts: 2 Location: CANADA

Thanks JohnV;

I did as you suggested; actually I copied the folder to a backup location and deleted the original C:\Documents and Settings\Wolf\Application Data\OpenOffice.org2 folder.

I then copied my user templates in to the new oo2 folder, set up outlook as my data source and pressed F4..

Voila!

Thanks a bunch Razz

Have you got an explanation to go with that solution?

P.S. oops, looks Iike I'm doubly registered on this forum with different user names Embarassed

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JohnV · Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2005 5:17 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the feedback. A couple of comments and a question.

You said you moved the entire OpenOffice.org2 folder. This can contain other things than the user folder and I recommend that only the user folder be removed. I'll edit my original post to note that the user folder is within the former.

If you had a prior version of OOo and were asked about importing your setting did you try this and was it successful?

I have no real explanation about why this works except to say that the "user" folder is where all your personal preferences are stored and very occasionally something strange can get stored in one of its numerous files causing problems that can only be fixed in this rather drastic manner. Had one instance of this behavior in OOo1.1.x - the problem, some very strange behavior that I can't remember now, was totally unrelated to yours and I tried everything else I knew before taking this route.

I'll suggest that you occasionally make a backup of this folder in case it happens again. But, of course, I haven't backed up mine Wink

saublewolf · Newbie Joined: 08 Oct 2005 Posts: 2 Location: CANADA

JohnV;

IonOtter · Newbie Joined: 28 Nov 2005 Posts: 3

I performed the operation you suggested, moving the USER directory to the desktop.

I did have to re-register, but that wasn't a problem as far as I was concerned. I can *definitely* see this being a difficult problem to deal with if I had created a bunch of macros, but I hadn't, so I didn't suffer any pain because of this.

The solution worked as you suggested it might, so in technical terms I would call this a success.

In terms of practicality, it's something that should definitely be brought up with the dev-staff.

For future references, both new users and experienced, it should be noted that OO does *not* offer easy ways to undo GLOBAL authorization commands. So if you see a dialogue box asking you "DON'T ASK THIS QUESTION AGAIN", think long and hard before checking it.

For reference purposes, this reply is posted in reference to a PM...

stainsby · Newbie Joined: 01 May 2006 Posts: 1

I just wanted to add to this as I too spent three hours trying to locate an apparently nonexistent toolbar. I finally found this thread and deleted the OpenOffice.org user data dir. On reregistering the missing bar was found correctly displayed.

OS: WinXP Home sp2 all patches up to date
OOo: 2.0.2 with JRE as an over-install on top of 2.0

Thanks for this note. It saved my day. I hope the underlying cause can be determined and future versions corrected at install time.

Erik

JohnV · Posted: Tue May 02, 2006 8:08 am Post subject:

stainsby,

Glad to be of help. Please note the edit I have done today to my original post in this thead if you ever run into that problem.

Zoandar · General User Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 31

Hi. I just wanted to say I am having the exact same problem with WinXP SP2 and OO 2.3.0.

So whatever is causing this, it is still not fixed since November 2005 when this thread began.

I'll try the suggestion above about moving the user folder.

it would be helpful if a picture of the elusive Table Data Bar were included in the Help file. I spent considerbale time trying to figure out WHAT I was looking for before I finally realized it does not exist in my current installation.

Thanks.
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Zoandar

Zoandar · General User Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 31

Well, all I had to do was RENAME the User folder ( I reversed the name to "RESU" and just left it in place. I did finally get to meet the Table Data bar when I re-opened the sheet of labels I had been unable to complete previously.

But now the listing for the data I had been trying to move to the labels is no longer showing up, and I don't know what to do to get it back.

More searching.......... Confused

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Zoandar

Zoandar · General User Joined: 28 Jul 2006 Posts: 31

OK. I figured that part out by right-clicking the list of databases and following the menus. Now if I can get the data to go into the labels, I'll be on the road to success.
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Zoandar