Bug 137918 - Character overstrike feature
Summary: Character overstrike feature
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Writer (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
Inherited From OOo
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: filter:docx
Depends on:
Blocks: Fields
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Reported: 2020-11-01 18:15 UTC by silvio.gerli
Modified: 2023-11-02 10:17 UTC (History)
7 users (show)

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Crash report or crash signature:


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Description silvio.gerli 2020-11-01 18:15:24 UTC
It could be a very useful feature to have the possibility to overlap (a least) two (or more) character.

What I mean is to have the possibility to write a O overlapped with a ·, or a character ovelapped with / to say contrary.

It could be useful in many occasion, in particular in math text.

another example comes from the need to have the "hat" character in Statistics.
There is not a overline with "hat" like "^".
If it would be possible to make characters ovelap ones could write β and than ^ overlapping.

I hope it is clear. It is something that in Latex is present and very used.

Let me know if you need more explanation on what I mean.

thanks
Comment 1 Regina Henschel 2020-11-02 01:41:38 UTC
For regular text you can use characters from the "Combining Diacritical Marks" and "Combining Diacritical Symbols" subsets. You should also have a look at other special characters. 
For math formulas you find some predefined combinations in the category "Attributes".

We have already character spacing with negative values, but it is restricted to -2pt. The ability to use e.g. -14pt is already tracked in bug 107405.
Comment 2 silvio.gerli 2020-11-03 13:57:50 UTC
(In reply to Regina Henschel from comment #1)
> For regular text you can use characters from the "Combining Diacritical
> Marks" and "Combining Diacritical Symbols" subsets. You should also have a
> look at other special characters. 
> For math formulas you find some predefined combinations in the category
> "Attributes".
> 
> We have already character spacing with negative values, but it is restricted
> to -2pt. The ability to use e.g. -14pt is already tracked in bug 107405.

Thanks Regina.

"Combining Diacritical Marks" and "Combining Diacritical Symbols" are completely unusable because ^ ~ etc. do not ever positionate in the middle but a bit aside.

Ok for prefined combination but they don't cover all the needs (actually just few needs).

I think negative until 14 pt or more could be a  solution. Even Better not to have to define the number of pixel (that could be a problem resising the text) but to decide to positionate in the same position of the character before or something like this
Comment 3 Fedon Kadifeli 2021-03-16 14:25:40 UTC
+1 from me!

This is something that I also desperately need. And it surprised me to find out that LO Writer does not support this.

MS Word *does* allow you to superimpose characters by using the good old "EQ \o (x,y)" overstrike field.
Comment 4 Dieter 2022-02-17 09:50:58 UTC
(In reply to silvio.gerli from comment #2)
> I think negative until 14 pt or more could be a  solution.

So can we mark it as duplicate of bug 107405?
=> NEEDINFO
Comment 5 QA Administrators 2022-08-17 03:34:56 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 6 Fedon Kadifeli 2022-08-17 15:12:23 UTC
I think this feature request should not be closed.

What is asked here is a feature similar to the MS Word "Overstrike Field" whose basic syntax is: EQ \o (x,y)

I found some information about this field at the following web page: http://wordfaqs.ssbarnhill.com/CombineCharacters.htm
Comment 7 Dieter 2022-08-17 15:37:28 UTC
(In reply to Fedon Kadifeli from comment #6)
> I think this feature request should not be closed.

My question was, if we could mark it as duplicate of bug 107405, but nobody answered. What do you think, Fedon?
Comment 8 Fedon Kadifeli 2022-08-17 15:50:15 UTC
> My question was, if we could mark it as duplicate of bug 107405, but nobody
> answered. What do you think, Fedon?

Obviously, I think that they are separate things. However, this is just my humble opinion.
Comment 9 silvio.gerli 2022-09-19 13:15:56 UTC
(In reply to Dieter from comment #4)
> (In reply to silvio.gerli from comment #2)
> > I think negative until 14 pt or more could be a  solution.
> 
> So can we mark it as duplicate of bug 107405?
> => NEEDINFO

I don't think  they are the same bug.

What I think could be a very important feature, as I wrote, is the possibility to say "ok, put this carachter ovelap the previous one". 
Without the (uncofortable and not precise) need to specify the number of point to walk back (besides the limit of -2 pt of that bug). 
Moreover, as I wrote, increasing the dimension of character will lead to the need to change all the settings of this overlap.

Example of usage:

e (overlap) ` -> è

very useful for special character as: "/" "^" "~" "°" ...
Comment 10 Dieter 2023-10-29 14:50:43 UTC
Hi Silvio and Fedon, bug 107405 has been fixed now. So could you please test and give feedback, why it is not a solution for you. As far as I understand you ask for the feature "overlap characters" but without further settings to what extend they should overlap. I think, "overlap" should be more specific.

=> NEEDINFO
Comment 11 silvio.gerli 2023-10-29 20:35:53 UTC
Dear Dieter, as I said it is not the same request.
The solution of that bug is not correct for the need.

The need is a function that put a character exaclty OVELAPPED the previous one, without the need to "guess" the number of point each time with long a "try and error" procedure.

As I said it would have a lot of application.

Let me know if something is not clear.
Comment 12 silvio.gerli 2023-10-29 20:43:20 UTC
If it can help in Latex they are function: \llap and \rlap (or \mathllap and \mathrlap in equations).
Comment 13 Dieter 2023-10-30 03:44:12 UTC
(In reply to silvio.gerli from comment #11)
> The need is a function that put a character exaclty OVELAPPED the previous
> one,

So they should overlap each other for 100%?
Comment 14 silvio.gerli 2023-10-30 04:39:41 UTC
Exaclty, in my idea the center of one has to coincide with the center of the other one.
Comment 15 Fedon Kadifeli 2023-10-30 07:47:22 UTC
Yes. Centered overlap is the most common use; but an option for left (adjusted) overlap and right overlap should also be good. Thanks.
Comment 16 Fedon Kadifeli 2023-10-30 07:58:45 UTC
The following HTML/CSS code may show a visual equivalent of what I mean:

<html>
<body>
<p>Left: Bla bla <span style="display: inline-flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: start;
  text-indent: 0;">W<span style="position: fixed;">,</span></span>
  bla bla...</p>

<p>Center: Bla bla <span style="display: inline-flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: center;
  text-indent: 0;">W<span style="position: fixed;">,</span></span>
  bla bla..</p>
  
<p>Right: Bla bla <span style="display: inline-flex;
  flex-direction: column;
  align-items: end;
  text-indent: 0;">W<span style="position: fixed;">,</span></span>
  bla bla..</p>
</body>
</html>
Comment 17 Dieter 2023-11-01 11:15:52 UTC
Fedon, thank you additional information. Idea is now clear to me. Let's ask design-team for decision. 

cc: Design-Team
Comment 18 V Stuart Foote 2023-11-01 15:15:42 UTC
If possible to record to ODF, a VCL "Overstrike" using font metric would be of use--as alternative to combining diacritic or the negative kerning (of bug 107405).

+1
Comment 19 Heiko Tietze 2023-11-02 10:17:50 UTC
The missing EQ field type is a bummer regardless "abusing" it as over-strike feature. Added a screenshot and test document to bug 147788 realizing now that this one predates. But I would make it a duplicate anyway since the negative spacing is also tracked somewhere else.