Skip to content

start:

Read-Only Mode for StarOffice Documents and Help System

Selecting text in write protected documents via keyboard

Author: Frank Loehmann

Date: 07/04/2002

Status: Draft

What/When

Who

Linguistic review, July 8, 2002

Elizabeth Matthis

Change Edit mode to Read-Only, July 16, 2002

Elizabeth Matthis, Matthias Müller-Prove, Frank Loehmann

Overwork Proposal, July 16, 2002

Frank Loehmann

Added Cursor Definition, July 17, 2002

Frank Loehmann



Problem

1. The selection of text in the read only mode of StarOffice / OpenOffice is currently only possible with the mouse. This is a problem regarding accessibility requirements, which prescribe that all functionality be accessible via the keyboard.

2. Furthermore, the Edit/Read-Only modes could only be switched in the context menu of a read-only document and using the “Edit File” icon on the function bar, but not via a regular menu.

Note: This feature is only for Writer. This has no impact on Draw, Impress and Calc because they are able to select cells and objects even in read-only mode.

Proposed Solution

1. Implement a new selection mode for the read only mode. This mode could be activated in the context menu of a read-only document, the main menu (in the Edit menu) and with a keyboard shortcut. If this mode is active, the user can use a non blinking cursor (this cursor type indicates that no text could be entered) placed in the left upper corner of the currently visible document part.

Main Menu of StarOffice / OpenOffice

  • Entry in the Edit menu which could be activated or deactivated (with a check mark in front of the menu command like the Tips entry from the Help menu). This entry is only visible if read-only mode of doc is active (see point 2 above and solution 2 below). The default setting for the menu entry is 'unmarked'.

    Position: Above the “Select All” entry

    German: “Text auswählen”

    English: “Select Text”

Contextual Menu

  • Entry in the contextual menu of StarOffice / OpenOffice which could be activated and deactivated. Default is deactivated

    Position in StarOffice / OpenOffice: Directly after the currently named “Edit” entry

    German: “Text auswählen“

    English: „Select Text“

  • Entry in the contextual menu of the SO help system which could be activated and deactivated. Default is deactivated

    Position in help system: After “Add to bookmark” divided by a separator

    German: “Text auswählen“

    English: „Select Text“



Shortcut (StarOffice / OpenOffice and Help Viewer)

Create keyboard shortcut to activate the new selection mode in the read only mode.

  • Ctrl + Shift + I

2. Change currently implemented “Edit” mode to a “Read-Only Mode”. (This change should make it clearer to the user why he can't change the document, because “Read-Only Mode” is activated (Button in the object bar is pressed). Currently this button is pressed when the edit mode is active, but the edit mode is the normal expected state of a doc and it is obvious for the user (blinking cursor).

Add a menu entry to the View Menu to correspond to the icon on the function bar and the entry on the context menu of the read-only document. Replace the “Edit File” icon on the function bar with a new icon (Christian Jansen (CJ) will create one) named “Read-Only Mode”

  • Entry on the View menu to activate or deactivate (with a check mark in front of the menu command like the Tips entry from the Help menu) the edit mode of a read-only document. The default setting for the menu entry is 'unmarked'.

    Position: Above the “Full Screen” entry

    German: “Lesemodus”

    English: “Read-Only Mode”

  • New “Read-Only Mode” icon (will come from CJ) on the function bar. The default setting for the icon is 'not pressed'.

    Position: Same position as the “Edit File” icon up till now.

    Help tip German: “Lesemodus”

    Help tip English: “Read-Only Mode”

Contextual Menu

Change the current “Edit” entry of a read only document to:

    German: “Lesemodus”

    English: “Read-Only Mode”

The status (checked/unchecked) corresponds with the button in the object bar.