Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 1793
Word count cannot count a selection of text
Last modified: 2013-08-07 14:41:36 UTC
The word count in OpenOffice 638 (and all rprevious versions) cannot count a selection of text, but rather the entire document (eg, while File -> Statistics gives words for the entire document, users should also be able to highlight a selection of text and run a wordcount on it). Many students and almost all professional writers need to be able to wordcount a selection of text, as they must produce documents which consists of different sections with different word limits.
Is this a defect? Because (for instance) MS Word has this feature? Sorry, but this is a way FAR TOO MANY so-called "defects" roll in. This is ( a request for) an enhancement as well as binding the user's shoelaces would be... ;-) Reassigned to Falko.
I will get back to this issue asap
*** Issue 1862 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
From users@openoffice.org: On 5 May 2002, Bill Kenworthy wrote: > This is the way I do it as well - does anyone know if there is a feature > request/bug report in about this? From memory, MS do a wordcount on > whats selected, or the lot if there is nothing highlighted - very > convenient. > > BillK
bug 4568 and bug 3155 both look like duplicates of this issue...
Please please add proper Word Count, this is the killer feature that's missing out of OOo for me. I'm keeping MS Word at the moment for this reason *only*.
dvo->chuckd: Please have a look at bug 4568; David Fraser already noted it's a duplicate of this one. It has a macro attachment with a word count macro. Maybe this will do for you? the bug: http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=4568 the macro: http://www.openoffice.org/issues/showattachment.cgi?attach_id=1907&file=wordcount.txt
Daniel = Absolute Legend! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. The macro is perfect. Just needs to be integrated as Tools -> Word Count now =) P.S. Someone should mark this bug and 1355 as a duplicate of 4568. If that had been done I would have found the fix without bothering anyone.
dvo->chuckd: You can integrate the macro into your tools menu by using tools->customize. In the menu tab, create a new menu entry under tools, and then assign the macro to it. You can also give it a hotkey, using the same dialog.
A superb word count feature is MANDATORY! :o) No bullsh*t, it really is. Academic writers, journalists and writers in general use this simple tool more than you think. I too was about to leave OOo Writer because this funtionality is abscent. It is no coincidence that Microsoft Word XP enhanced its word count feature, thats simply because people needed it and asked for more! We are not asking for it because Word has it and OOo then must have it too. It should be quite simple to add, it is a totally harmless feature - and on my universite we use it a lot! What we need is a) That is is in the tools menu - accessible! b) That it can count the entire document c) That it can count the entire document, except footnotes e) Perhaps that it can count the entire document, except indexes and other fields f) That it can count on a selection of text As of now Writer includes text in footnotes to when counting. If it did not I had been forced to switch back to Word. I know that word counting seems like a strange feature to those who do not need it, but it really is important!!! And forcing everybody to use a macro is totally insane. If you want OOo to be used by EVERYBODY - then give them a choice they can handle! :)
g) And with and without spaces! :)
I've read several reviews which state that they would wholeheartedly recommend OOo IF it had better word count features (specifically selection word count). This is necessary for acceptance.
*** Issue 3155 has been marked as a duplicate of this issue. ***
Wordcount is on our list for 2.0. Re-assigned to BH.
cross-linking word-count issues (OS, Platform: ALL)
Created attachment 10258 [details] oo file containing word count macro enhanced from dv's
just for communicaiton, I have attached to this issue the latest most enhanced version of the word count that Daniel Vogelheim originally wrote some summers ago.
Hallo Daniel, you have got a spec about wordcount for OO.o 2.0. Please take this issue concerning that theme to your ownership, as long as you implement it. After implementation please forward it for verification to QA (the normal way of a task). Thank you.
I too would like to add my voice for a greatly enhanced word count function, including counting selected text. The problem with the macros I've used is that for the sake of speed they count punctuation marks as words which, when the text selection is large, produces substantial error. As a writer who needs to submit articles within specific word count ranges even 20-50 words makes a difference.
Maybe if the word count of the selected text could appear in the status bar at the bottom. That would save a trip to go to Tools > Word Count or File > Properties > Statistics.
Could please please someone change the target milestone to 1.2 or something sooner than 2.0 because it is really a disgrace that Writer does not have this option. A simple editor on my palm computer has it (the software weighs around 50k) and even in the latest review of Star Office the flaw of Word Count in Writer is mentioned as a setback. Do you really need more to include this "enhancement" in the first stable build possible? It is a very simple programming task making this package professional enough for professional writers (like journalists & reporters who keep counting characters in parts of their documents all the time).
I was under the impression this was being worked on. Apparently not much has been done or it is a far more difficult task than previously thought. I keep hoping for it. I need a word count feature that will count footnotes (for books) and not (for professional articles) as well as one that will count selected regions. All three have been asked for numerous times over the past three years. That it's set as "New" tells me it has not been looked at for a long time.
please keep in mind that there are languages that don't use the latin alphabet and word cound should work for these languages as well, besides that please also note that issue 4568 already contains a macro that can be used in the meantime. reagarding counting/not counting footnotes: this is issue 23974 Because nothing has changed in an issue for a long time doesn't mean that no work is being done on that issue (I wish there would be more feedback, but...).
Enhancing word count for counting words also in selections is now considered in the product concept document 17964 for OO.o 2.0. Please have a look there. This issue is closed as duplicate to PCD 17964. *** This issue has been marked as a duplicate of 17964 ***
Please, everyone that voted for this issue take your vote and add it to issue 17964 instead because this one is being closed as its duplicate! Also, try changing priority of 17964 to P3 as was with this issue (instead of P4)! Thanks.
close issue.