NeoOffice 2017 Upgrade Issues

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1 Installation issues
2 General issues
- 2.1 Hyperlinks do not open when clicked
3 Dark Mode issues
- 3.1 Text in documents is black instead of white
4 Writer issues
5 Spreadsheet issues
6 Macro and extension issues

NeoOffice 2017 is based on the LibreOffice 4.4 code. Because earlier versions of NeoOffice were based on the much older OpenOffice 3.3 code, users may find NeoOffice behaves differently after upgrading to NeoOffice 2017. Below are the most common issues that we have seen after upgrading to NeoOffice 2017:

Installation issues

Silicon Mac users: Run NeoOffice natively on both Silicon and Intel Macs by installing NeoOffice 2022

Step 1 - Download and install the latest version of NeoOffice

Only NeoOffice 2017 will run on High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey. To upgrade to the latest version of NeoOffice 2017, use the following steps:

NeoOffice Mac App Store:
- Ensure that Apple's App Store application has installed NeoOffice 2017.33 by launching Apple's App Store application and doing these steps
- macOS Sierra and High Sierra users: Install this patch to open PDF files and install extensions that worked in previous versions of NeoOffice 2017.
- If NeoOffice does not launch or NeoOffice Viewer launches, we recommend that you try these steps.

NeoOffice Professional Edition:
- Install NeoOffice 2017.33 Professional Edition if you are running an older version of NeoOffice
- Optional: Some database features and wizards in NeoOffice Professional Edition require Java. If NeoOffice displays a dialog that says Java is required, install Java SE Development Kit (JDK) 8 from Oracle. Note: only Oracle's JDK 8 will work with NeoOffice 2017 Professional Edition. Neither Apple's Java nor Oracle's Java SE Runtime Environment (JRE) will work.
- If the NeoOffice download or installation fails, we recommend that you try these steps.

Step 2 - If NeoOffice cannot save, try these steps

macOS Monterey users: Make sure that you have upgraded to the latest version of NeoOffice. NeoOffice versions older than 2017.30 have a bug that causes the native Save dialog to fail.

If you see the dialog shown in the screen snapshot to the right when you edit or try to save a document, then the problem is that you have launched NeoOffice Viewer. NeoOffice Viewer can only view files and cannot save documents.

To fix this problem, right-click or Control-click on the NeoOffice icon in the Dock while NeoOffice Viewer is still running. In the popup menu that appears, select the Options > Show in Finder menu item. A Finder window will appear. Quit NeoOffice, drag the NeoOffice application in that Finder window to the Trash, and empty the Trash.

If you have not already installed NeoOffice Professional Edition or Classic Edition or NeoOffice from the Mac App Store, install either now using the steps in Step 1 above.

Step 3 - If NeoOffice tells you to install a newer version, try these steps

If your web browser displays a page telling you to install a newer version of NeoOffice whenever you launch NeoOffice, then you have an old version of NeoOffice Professional Edition or Classic Edition installed on your machine.

To fix this problem, right-click or Control-click on the NeoOffice icon in the Dock while NeoOffice is still running. In the popup menu that appears, select the Options > Show in Finder menu item. A Finder window will appear. Quit NeoOffice, drag the NeoOffice application in that Finder window to the Trash, and empty the Trash.

If you have not already installed NeoOffice Professional Edition or Classic Edition or NeoOffice from the Mac App Store, install either now using the steps in Step 1 above.

Step 4 - If the Mac App Store tells you that NeoOffice is already installed, try these steps

If Apple's App Store application displays a dialog that says that NeoOffice is already installed, then you have an old version of NeoOffice Professional Edition or Classic Edition installed on your machine.

To fix this problem, open a Finder window and go to the /Applications folder. Drag the NeoOffice application in that Finder window to the Trash, and empty the Trash. Then, go back to Apple's App Store application and click on the download icon to install NeoOffice.

Step 5 - If NeoOffice crashes or does not save, try these steps

The following steps will force NeoOffice to create new user preference files with default values:

Quit NeoOffice
NeoOffice Professional Edition:
- In the Finder, select the Go > Go to Folder menu item, copy the following path into the dialog that appears, and press the Go button:
  ~/Library/Preferences/NeoOffice-4.0
- Drag the selected NeoOffice-4.0 folder to the Trash
- In the Finder, select the Go > Go to Folder menu item, copy the following path into the dialog that appears, and press the Go button:
  ~/Library/Preferences/NeoOffice-3.0
- Drag the selected NeoOffice-4.0 folder to the Trash
NeoOffice Mac App Store:
- In the Finder, select the Go > Go to Folder menu item, copy the following path into the dialog that appears, and press the Go button:
  ~/Library/Containers/org.neooffice.NeoOfficeSecureEdition/Data/Library/Preferences/NeoOfficeSecureEdition-4.0
- Drag the selected NeoOfficeSecureEdition-4.0 folder to the Trash
- In the Finder, select the Go > Go to Folder menu item, copy the following path into the dialog that appears, and press the Go button:
  ~/Library/Containers/org.neooffice.NeoOfficeSecureEdition/Data/Library/Preferences/NeoOfficeSecureEdition
- Drag the selected NeoOfficeSecureEdition-4.0 folder to the Trash
Launch NeoOffice

Step 6 - If NeoOffice still has problems, try these steps

Quit NeoOffice
In the Finder, go to the /Applications/Utilities folder and launch the Terminal application
Copy the following commands into the Terminal window and press the Return key:
defaults delete org.neooffice.NeoOffice defaults delete org.neooffice.NeoOfficeSecureEdition
Launch NeoOffice

General issues

Hyperlinks do not open when clicked

In the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 (as well as all recent versions of OpenOffice and LibreOffice) hyperlinks only open when clicked while the Command key is pressed (Command-click).

To open hyperlinks with only a click, use the following steps:

Select the NeoOffice > Preferences menu item
In the Options dialog that appears, select the NeoOffice > Security item and then press the Options button
In the Security Options and Warnings dialog that appears, uncheck the Command-click required to follow hyperlinks checkbox and press the OK button
After the Security Options and Warnings dialog closes, press the OK button

Dark Mode issues

We have added a new feature in NeoOffice 2017 for macOS Mojave users: Dark Mode. To disable this feature, check the NeoOffice > Mac Options > Disable Dark Mode menu item.

Text in documents is black instead of white

When running in Dark Mode, text in documents will be white only if the text color is not set. If text is set to a specific color, NeoOffice will display that color.

To unset text color in Calc documents, select some cells, select Format > Cell menu item. In the Character dialog that appears, select the Font Effects tab, set the Font color listbox to "Automatic", and press the OK button.

To unset text color in Writer or Impress documents, select some text, select Format > Character menu item. In the Character dialog that appears, select the Font Effects tab, set the Font color listbox to "Automatic", and press the OK button.

Writer issues

Document automatically scrolls back to the cursor when saving

When saving, NeoOffice automatically scrolls a Writer document back to the cursor. This behavior is caused by NeoOffice's Quick Look support code which generates a PDF snapshot that is inserted in the document.

To stop automatic scrolling when saving, disable generating PDF snapshots by selecting the NeoOffice > Mac Options > Quick Look Support in Documents > Disabled menu item.

Mail merge adds blank pages when printing

When printing some mail merge documents that were saved in NeoOffice 2015 or earlier, the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 may insert blank pages in the printed output.

To stop the insertion of blank pages when printing, use the following steps:

While in your mail merge document, select the NeoOffice > Preferences menu item
In the Options dialog that appears, select the NeoOffice Writer > Print item and then uncheck the Print automatically inserted blank pages checkbox and press the OK button
Save your mail merge document

Custom starting page numbers are incorrect

When opening some documents that have custom starting page numbers that were saved in NeoOffice 2015 or earlier, the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 may display the incorrect page number.

To correct the custom starting page numbers, use the following steps:

Move the cursor into the first paragraph of your document. If a table is at the start of the first paragraph, insert a new blank line before the table by moving the cursor to the beginning of the top left cell in the table and then pressing the Return key, and then move the cursor to the new blank line.
Select the Format > Paragraph menu item
In the Paragraph dialog that appears, select the Text Flow tab and then, in the Breaks section, check the Insert and the With page style checkboxes, enter the custom starting page number in the Page number field, and press the OK button
If you have any page breaks in your document, move the cursor into the first paragraph after a page break and repeat the preceding 2 steps
Save your document

Spreadsheet issues

Spreadsheet formulas display #VALUE! instead of a number

If a mathmatical formula references any cells that contain spaces or other non-numeric characters, the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 (as well as all recent versions of OpenOffice and LibreOffice) will display #VALUE!. In contrast, the OpenOffice 3.3 code used by earlier versions of NeoOffice would behave as if such cells were empty cells.

To stop the display of #VALUE!, there are two options:

Put each cell reference in a mathematical formula into the N() function. The N() function will return 0 if the cell reference is non-numeric which is very similar to the OpenOffice 3.3 behavior.
Delete cells with spaces or other non-numeric characters that are referenced by any mathematical formulas in your spreadsheet. You can delete most of the cells with spaces or other non-numeric characters using the following steps:
- Select the cell range which contains text strings
- Choose the Edit menu then the Find & Replaceâ€¦ sub-menu
- In the Find & Replace window, enter "^.*[^0-9\-.,].*$" (without quotes) in the Search For field
- Set the Replace With field to empty
- Click Other options or More options button
- Check the Regular expressions checkbox
- Set the Search in listbox to Values
- Press the Replace All button

Deleting a cell in a spreadsheet always displays a dialog

To stop the display of this dialog, use the following steps:

While in a Calc document, select the NeoOffice > Preferences menu item
In the Options dialog that appears, select the NeoOffice Calc > Compatibility item
Set the Key Bindings listbox to OpenOffice.org legacy
Press the OK button

No grid lines in spreadsheet cells that have a background color

The LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 draws the cell background color on top of grid lines. In contrast, the OpenOffice 3.3 code used by earlier versions of NeoOffice would draw grid lines on top of the cell background color.

To display grid lines in cells that have a background color, use the following steps:

While in a Calc document, select the NeoOffice > Preferences menu item
In the Options dialog that appears, select the NeoOffice Calc > View item
Set the Grid lines listbox to Show on colored cells
Press the OK button

Goal seek fails when the variable cell is empty or is non-numeric

The LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 only processes variable cells that are set to a numeric value. If a variable cell is empty or contains text or a formula, goal seek will fail.

To stop goal seek from failing, you will need to set each variable cell's value to a numeric value such as 0 before you select the Tools > Goal Seek menu item.

No menu item to export a chart to an image file

In the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017, exporting a chart to an image file can no longer be done using the File > Export menu item.

To export a chart to an image file, right-click or Control-click on a chart and, in the popup menu that appears, select the Export as Image menu item. Then, in the Save dialog that appears, select the desired image format in the File type listbox.

Macro and extension issues

Cannot open PDF files or install extensions that worked in previous versions of NeoOffice 2017

If you are running the Mac App Store version of NeoOffice on macOS Sierra or High Sierra, you will find that opening PDF files or installing most extensions will fail. This is due to Apple's recent security updates to macOS Sierra and High Sierra which breaks NeoOffice's PDF and extension loading code.

To fix this problem, install this patch after you install or update the Mac App Store version of NeoOffice. The patch contains a fix that should make opening PDF files and loading extensions work within Apple's latest macOS Sierra and High Sierra security updates.

The Tools > Macros > Record Macro menu item is disabled

In the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017, recording macros is disabled by default.

To enable recording macros, use the following steps:

Select the NeoOffice > Preferences menu item
In the Options dialog that appears, select the NeoOffice > Advanced item, check the Enable macro recording checkbox, and press the OK button

Macros and extensions that worked in NeoOffice 2015 do not work in NeoOffice 2017

The macro runtime and extension APIs in the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 contains many security and syntax changes from the very old OpenOffice 3.1.1 code used by NeoOffice 2015. Because of these LibreOffice changes, many macros and extensions that worked in NeoOffice 2015 and earlier versions may no longer work in NeoOffice 2017.

It may not be possible or practical to rewrite macros or extensions written for NeoOffice 2015 to work in NeoOffice 2017. In such cases, the following options are available:

Try running your macros and extensions in OpenOffice 4.1.
Downgrade to NeoOffice 2015.12 Classic Edition.

Retrieved from "https://neowiki.neooffice.org/index.php/NeoOffice_2017_Upgrade_Issues"

 NeoOffice 2017 is based on the LibreOffice 4.4 code. Because earlier versions of NeoOffice were based on the much older OpenOffice 3.3 code, users may find NeoOffice behaves differently after upgrading to NeoOffice 2017. Below are the most common issues that we have seen after upgrading to NeoOffice 2017:
-{{bluebox|Request refund}}
 ==Installation issues==
-{{:Sierra_and_High_Sierra_Upgrade_Issues}}
+{{:Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, and Monterey Upgrade Issues}}
 ==General issues==
 * Select the {{menu|NeoOffice}} > {{menu|Preferences}} menu item
 * In the {{window|Options}} dialog that appears, select the {{menu|NeoOffice}} > {{menu|Security}} item and then press the {{button|Options}} button
-* In the {{window|Security Options and Warnings}} dialog that appears, uncheck the {{button|Command-click required to follow hyperlinks}} checkbox and press the {{button|OK}} button.
+* In the {{window|Security Options and Warnings}} dialog that appears, uncheck the {{button|Command-click required to follow hyperlinks}} checkbox and press the {{button|OK}} button
-* After the {{window|Security Options and Warnings}} dialog closes, press the {{button|OK}} button.
+* After the {{window|Security Options and Warnings}} dialog closes, press the {{button|OK}} button
+==Dark Mode issues==
+{{bluebox|:Running_NeoOffice_in_Dark_Mode}}
+====Text in documents is black instead of white====
+When running in Dark Mode, text in documents will be white only if the text color is not set. If text is set to a specific color, NeoOffice will display that color.
+To unset text color in Calc documents, select some cells, select {{menu|Format}} > {{menu|Cell}} menu item. In the {{window|Character}} dialog that appears, select the {{button|Font Effects}} tab, set the {{button|Font color}} listbox to "Automatic", and press the {{button|OK}} button.
+To unset text color in Writer or Impress documents, select some text, select {{menu|Format}} > {{menu|Character}} menu item. In the {{window|Character}} dialog that appears, select the {{button|Font Effects}} tab, set the {{button|Font color}} listbox to "Automatic", and press the {{button|OK}} button.
+==Writer issues==
+====Document automatically scrolls back to the cursor when saving====
+When saving, NeoOffice automatically scrolls a Writer document back to the cursor. This behavior is caused by NeoOffice's Quick Look support code which generates a PDF snapshot that is inserted in the document.
+To stop automatic scrolling when saving, disable generating PDF snapshots by selecting the {{menu|NeoOffice}} > {{menu|Mac Options}} > {{menu|Quick Look Support in Documents}} > {{menu|Disabled}} menu item.
+====Mail merge adds blank pages when printing====
+When printing some mail merge documents that were saved in NeoOffice 2015 or earlier, the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 may insert blank pages in the printed output.
+To stop the insertion of blank pages when printing, use the following steps:
+* While in your mail merge document, select the {{menu|NeoOffice}} > {{menu|Preferences}} menu item
+* In the {{window|Options}} dialog that appears, select the {{menu|NeoOffice Writer}} > {{menu|Print}} item and then uncheck the {{button|Print automatically inserted blank pages}} checkbox and press the {{button|OK}} button
+* Save your mail merge document
+====Custom starting page numbers are incorrect====
+When opening some documents that have custom starting page numbers that were saved in NeoOffice 2015 or earlier, the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 may display the incorrect page number.
+To correct the custom starting page numbers, use the following steps:
+* Move the cursor into the first paragraph of your document. If a table is at the start of the first paragraph, insert a new blank line before the table by moving the cursor to the beginning of the top left cell in the table and then pressing the {{key|Return}} key, and then move the cursor to the new blank line.
+* Select the {{menu|Format}} > {{menu|Paragraph}} menu item
+* In the {{window|Paragraph}} dialog that appears, select the {{button|Text Flow}} tab and then, in the {{menu|Breaks}} section, check the {{button|Insert}} and the {{button|With page style}} checkboxes, enter the custom starting page number in the {{section|Page number}} field, and press the {{button|OK}} button
+* If you have any page breaks in your document, move the cursor into the first paragraph after a page break and repeat the preceding 2 steps
+* Save your document
 ==Spreadsheet issues==
 To stop the display of <tt>#VALUE!</tt>, there are two options:
 # Put each cell reference in a mathematical formula into the <tt>N()</tt> function. The <tt>N()</tt> function will return <tt>0</tt> if the cell reference is non-numeric which is very similar to the OpenOffice 3.3 behavior.
 # Delete cells with spaces or other non-numeric characters that are referenced by any mathematical formulas in your spreadsheet. You can delete most of the cells with spaces or other non-numeric characters using the following steps:
-#* Select the cell range which contains text strings.
+#* Select the cell range which contains text strings
-#* Choose the {{menu|Edit}} menu then the {{menu|Find & Replaceâ€¦}} sub-menu.
+#* Choose the {{menu|Edit}} menu then the {{menu|Find & Replaceâ€¦}} sub-menu
-#* In the {{window|Find & Replace}} window, enter "'''^.*[^0-9\-.,].*$'''" (without quotes) in the {{section|Search For}} field.
+#* In the {{window|Find & Replace}} window, enter "'''^.*[^0-9\-.,].*$'''" (without quotes) in the {{section|Search For}} field
-#* Set the {{section|Replace With}} field to empty.
+#* Set the {{section|Replace With}} field to empty
-#* Click {{button|Other options}} or {{button|More options}} button.
+#* Click {{button|Other options}} or {{button|More options}} button
-#* Check the {{prefName|Regular expressions}} checkbox.
+#* Check the {{prefName|Regular expressions}} checkbox
 #* Set the {{prefName|Search in}} listbox to {{button|Values}}
-#* Press the {{button|Replace All}} button.
+#* Press the {{button|Replace All}} button
 ====Deleting a cell in a spreadsheet always displays a dialog====
 * In the {{window|Options}} dialog that appears, select the {{menu|NeoOffice Calc}} > {{menu|Compatibility}} item
 * Set the {{prefName|Key Bindings}} listbox to {{button|OpenOffice.org legacy}}
-* Press the {{button|OK}} button.
+* Press the {{button|OK}} button
 ====No grid lines in spreadsheet cells that have a background color====
 * In the {{window|Options}} dialog that appears, select the {{menu|NeoOffice Calc}} > {{menu|View}} item
 * Set the {{prefName|Grid lines}} listbox to {{button|Show on colored cells}}
-* Press the {{button|OK}} button.
+* Press the {{button|OK}} button
-==Macro issues==
+====Goal seek fails when the variable cell is empty or is non-numeric====
+The LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 only processes variable cells that are set to a numeric value. If a variable cell is empty or contains text or a formula, goal seek will fail.
+To stop goal seek from failing, you will need to set each variable cell's value to a numeric value such as '''0''' before you select the {{menu|Tools}} > {{menu|Goal Seek}} menu item.
+====No menu item to export a chart to an image file====
+In the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017, exporting a chart to an image file can no longer be done using the {{menu|File}} > {{menu|Export}} menu item.
+To export a chart to an image file, right-click or Control-click on a chart and, in the popup menu that appears, select the {{menu|Export as Image}} menu item. Then, in the {{window|Save}} dialog that appears, select the desired image format in the {{prefName|File type}} listbox.
+==Macro and extension issues==
+====<div id="Cannot_install_and_enable_extensions_that_worked_in_previous_versions_of_NeoOffice_2017">Cannot open PDF files or install extensions that worked in previous versions of NeoOffice 2017</div>====
+If you are running the Mac App Store version of NeoOffice on macOS Sierra or High Sierra, you will find that opening PDF files or installing most extensions will fail. This is due to Apple's recent security updates to macOS Sierra and High Sierra which breaks NeoOffice's PDF and extension loading code.
+To fix this problem, install [https://github.com/neooffice/NeoOffice/releases/download/NeoOffice-2017_33/NeoOffice-2017.33-Patch-0-Intel.dmg this patch] after you install or update the Mac App Store version of NeoOffice. The patch contains a fix that should make opening PDF files and loading extensions work within Apple's latest macOS Sierra and High Sierra security updates.
+====The Tools > Macros > Record Macro menu item is disabled====
+In the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017, recording macros is disabled by default.
+To enable recording macros, use the following steps:
+* Select the {{menu|NeoOffice}} > {{menu|Preferences}} menu item
+* In the {{window|Options}} dialog that appears, select the {{menu|NeoOffice}} > {{menu|Advanced}} item, check the {{button|Enable macro recording}} checkbox, and press the {{button|OK}} button
-Many macros that worked in NeoOffice 2015 and earlier versions may no longer work in NeoOffice 2017 because the macro runtime in the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 contains many security and syntax changes from the very old OpenOffice 3.1.1 macro runtime used by NeoOffice 2015.
+====Macros and extensions that worked in NeoOffice 2015 do not work in NeoOffice 2017====
+The macro runtime and extension APIs in the LibreOffice 4.4 code used by NeoOffice 2017 contains many security and syntax changes from the very old OpenOffice 3.1.1 code used by NeoOffice 2015. Because of these LibreOffice changes, many macros and extensions that worked in NeoOffice 2015 and earlier versions may no longer work in NeoOffice 2017.
-It may not be possible or practical to macros written for NeoOffice 2015 to work in NeoOffice 2017. In such cases, the following options are available:
+It may not be possible or practical to rewrite macros or extensions written for NeoOffice 2015 to work in NeoOffice 2017. In such cases, the following options are available:
-* Try running your macros in [http://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html OpenOffice 4.1].
+* Try running your macros and extensions in [http://www.openoffice.org/download/index.html OpenOffice 4.1].
 * Downgrade to [http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/mirrors.php?file=NeoOffice-2015.12_Classic_Edition-Intel.dmg NeoOffice 2015.12 Classic Edition].