I have to move the cursor to get OO to open a document

[lipwak]

Hi,

Ever since I started using OO back in 2014 I have had to move my cursor back and forth once after double-clicking on a OO file to get it to open.They do not open at all if I don't do that. They open fine by themselves when I use the recent documents menu or the FIle menu. I always just lived with it but now I asking why this has to be.

Can anyone tell me?

Thank you.

[John_Ha]

That is extremely unusual. If you were on Windows I would suggest these two tests - I don't know how to do them on MacOS.

1. Start the PC is Safe Mode - Google for how. Does it do it now?

2. Strange problems are often fixed by resetting the user profile - see Resetting the user profile. Easiest done by

1. Stop AOO
2. Navigate to C:\Users\xxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice\4\user (where xxxxxx is your user name). IT is a hidden file so type it into the location bar in Navigator.
3. Rename ...\user to ...\userOLD
4. Start AOO

Does it do it now? If not, copy back everything EXCEPT ...\user\config from ...\userOLD to ...\user.

If it still does it, stop AOO and replace ...\user with ...\userOLD.

I will then be very confused.

[MrProgrammer]

Ever since I started using OO back in 2014 I have had to move my cursor back and forth once after double-clicking on a OO file to get it to open.

I presume that "double-clicking on a OO file" means that you are using Finder to open documents. I cannot reproduce that problem; opening a document from Finder causes OpenOffice to immediately display it. And I never experienced that problem on the older Mac which I bought in 2009 either. In twelve years on the forum I don't recall anyone else with this problem. You seem to have an unusual situation, perhaps due to special customization that you've done including non-standard software you've installed.

They do not open at all if I don't do that.

My guess is that the document does open and the difficulty is that OpenOffice doesn't receive the focus – it remains on Finder thus you don't realize that the document is open. In that case you have a MacOS problem and not an OpenOffice problem. But OSX 10.9.1 (from your forum signature) is about ten years old and no longer supported, thus you may have difficulty getting any help from Apple. You can review this material.
Mac FAQ Q33: How do I get my documents to open with OpenOffice when I use Finder?

1. Start the PC is Safe Mode - Google for how. Does it do it now?

Mac FAQ Q34: When should I use Safe Mode with OpenOffice?
If Safe Mode is successful in opening documents from Finder, then the problem is definitively caused by customization you've done to your Mac.

Or see if the problem is reproducible on the Guest User.
Mac FAQ Q28: How do I use the Guest User account to run a test?
If the Guest User is successful in opening documents from Finder, then the problem is customization you've done to the account you normally use. An inconvenience you've been living with for eight years may not justify this work, but you could create a new account on your Mac, then move all your files to it. Consult Apple's documentation for that process.

Navigate to C:\Users\xxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\OpenOffice\4\user (where xxxxxx is your user name).

No, but I have provided the correct location in the Mac FAQ tutorial.
Mac FAQ Q02: How do I create a new profile on a Mac?

[lipwak]

Hi,

Thank you both.

It happens in Safe Mode and in my other User account. Open Office is in the forefront in both cases.

I'll live with it unless someone has another idea.

Cheers,

John

(Now on to my other problem which I'll post in another thread...)

I have updated my profile sig. The old one was probably created back in 2014... and I've had many updates both to OO and my OS since then.

[John_Ha]

I'd reset the profile because it is known to cause strange problems and it is NOT reset when you upgrade AOO.

[lipwak]

Thanks. I have two folders in my Application Support folder (users/my user name/library/application support): OpenOffice and
OpenOffice.org. Should I delete both?