Hi
A few weeks ago I proposed a patch https://gerrit.libreoffice.org/c/core/+/138845 related to bug tdf#150587, which removed what I felt was an artificial limitation on the range of dates that can be entered in some LibreOffice form controls.
Due to some comments, I reverted the patch and started to do some testing of the behavior of dates in LibreOffice.
As a result of the tests I could observe a number of errors:
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When exporting dates from Calc to Writer database fields , out of 8 exported dates, 2 incorrectly exported → 25 % errors
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When exporting dates from Calc to a Base database, out of 8 exported dates, 3 are incorrectly exported → 37,5 % errors
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When opening with Base a Firebird database table (created externally), out of10 data, 7 are displayed incorrectly → 70 % errors
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If the above data is displayed in a form, instead of in a table, all datas are displayed incorrectly, 100 % errors
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When entering data in a table in Base, of 6 data entered, at least 3 incorrectly show → 50 % errors
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Of the 6 data entered above, 3 are saved incorrectly, but curiously they are not exactly the same as they were wrongly displayed → 50 % errors
Since all the data used in the tests are extreme data, and therefore produce extreme errors, surely in normal employment not so many errors occur. But although it, cannot be ruled out that similar errors occur in normal use of LibreOffice components (they have occurred to me).
It is true that the normal procedure when detecting errors should be to report them in bugzilla. But in this case, in my point of view, before proceeding to qualify certain behaviors as errors or not, we have to decide what treatment we want to give to the date in LibreOffice.
Because, currently, on one hand, each of the LibreOffice components, or even parts of the same component, treat dates in a different way. For example, in Calc you can enter almost all dates without any problem and dates are not modified (only the dates not allowed are converted to text), while in Base or in Writer form controls, sometimes dates are modified without warning.
And on the other hand, there are components or controls that artificially limit the range of dates they allow input, but, curiously, they can show dates that they do not allow to enter.
It seems that this artificial limitation imposed on the date range has been implemented to avoid (and not to solve) problems with certain dates.
In conclusion IMHO, it should be open a debate and decide what treatment should be to give to dates and apply that decision in all LibreOffice components.
In my view the best solution would be to use the proleptic Gregorian calendar in all components and, furthermore, not artificially limit dates to a relatively narrow range of dates, but to be able to enter dates at least in the range between 0001-01-01 and 9999-12-31.
Sorry for the length.
Regards
PS: Attached a Writer document
explaining tests I have done and results (I'm not sure if
attachments are allowed)
Juan C. Sanz
Attachment:
Errores con fechas INGLÉS.odt
Description: application/vnd.oasis.opendocument.text
