Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 92847
Cannot create additional instances of soffice from desktop icon link
Last modified: 2013-02-07 22:42:30 UTC
OOO300m2 (build:9343), Windows XP Using the soffice icon placed on the Desktop it is possible to create an instance of soffice. In OOO300 a Window appears with a dialog in it which allows one to pick a document type. Attempting to create a second instance (for creating a second instance of an office document type) by re-clicking the swriter desktop icon does not yield a new instance. Instead, one needs to use either "File->New->Text Document" or go through the Windows "Start" menu to locate the OOo entry and within that the appropriate document type. Assuming, that this behaviour is only planned for OOo300 I lowered the priority to P4, but thought to file an issue to not overlook this particular issue as it would be quite distracting for end-users who came to expect from clicking soffice icons to open new instances. [Actually, I think, it should open another instance of the OOo300 window/dialog to allow the user to create new OOo document instances.]
I assume you want to work with to different file. What does the difference make to do it in one or in two instances of OpenOffice.org. I can open as much file as I want (as I have RAM).
Hmm, maybe I did not really state the problem such that it can be seen. Trying it differently: With 3.0.1 (sorry at this XP machine I do not have a newer version for development purposes) on Windows XP a link to the "OpenOffice.org 3.0" icon is placed on the desktop and in addition it is available in the Windows Start menu system. Double-clicking the OOo icon (dubbed "OpenOffice.org 3.0") on the desktop or picking it from the menu will open an OOo window with a menu in the middle, in which one picks an OOo filetype (swriter, scalc, simpress, etc.). As a result the OOo window changes and a new document of the chosen type is displayed in it. While a person is editing that newly created document type, but needs to quickly create another new OOo document type, then it is intuitive to just double-click on the aforementioned OOo icon or pick that menu option. I would expect then the same behaviour as described above: a new empty OOo window appears containing a menu of OOo document types that the user chooses from to create another new OOo document. Instead, the previously created docoument gets the focus and the user cannot choose a new document type s/he wants to create. --- Maybe yet another explanation: - a user wishes to create a new Document A and double clicks/picks "OpenOffice.org 3.0", which yields a new OOo window and a choice of document type one wishes to create - the same user wishes to create another new Document B (while Document A is still being edited) and double cliks/picks "OpenOffice.org 3.0", which now behaves differently: it will focus on Document A, but not allow one to create a new document. I think this is irritating/distracting users (also, I think previously it would always create a new document window from which one was abele to choose the desired document type; cannot double-check the behaviour on 3.1.1 currently). HTH, if not, please ask again.
There is always only one instance of OOo3 running. It is impossible to start a second instance, because it is noted down in the OOo user folder, that an instance is running. But this instance can have multiple open documents. Why you try to use the icon on the desktop or the start menu? Open the drop-down list of the "new"-icon in the standard toolbar to get any document type you want.
Probably semantics get into our ways: - so let us define an "instance" to be an OpenOffice.org process serving a specific port. Clearly, such an "instance" can serve multiple documents (of various types), - let us define "document" to be of any type, edited by an "instance". There may be multiple distinct documents of any type that are edited by that "instance". Now, witness the following behaviour (this is on XP 3.0.1, German edition): - "Start -> OpenOffice.org -> OpenOffice.org Writer": causes a new document to be created and presented for editing, - "Start -> OpenOffice.org -> OpenOffice.org Writer": causes another new document to be created and presented for editing. In both of the above cases I used the same menu-option and two different documents got created. The same is true for all the different document type menu-options. Hence, it is intuitive that picking the same menu-option repeatedly, causes a new document to be created and presented for editing each time. HOWEVER, this is NOT true, if using the "OpenOffice.org 3.0" menu option (or double-clicking its icon for the same matter): in this case the behaviour is DIFFERENT which makes it a usability problem: - if no OOo document is being edited, then a window is created with a dialog that allows one to pick a document type; once picked a new document is created and presented for editing - if HOWEVER any OOo document is open already, then the behaviour now is as follows: OOo will focus on the last document that got presented for editing. The behaviour of "OpenOffice.org 3.0" is all of a suddent DIFFERENT to the other menu-options (e.g. "OpenOffice.org Writer", "OpenOffice.org Calc", "OpenOffice.org Impress", etc.), in that it does not allow one to create a new document at all anymore!
This is not a defect. OOo doesn't behave like that and it is not intended to do so. Some applications behave like you describe other don't. The workaround is pretty simple and the usual way to open a new document: 'File - New'. So I don't really see the need to change something.