Show word count in the Status Bar

[moonmehta]

Do you want to request a feature or report a bug?
Feature

What is the current behavior?
Status bar only shows page number

What is the expected behavior?
Status bar should show word count and selected text word count, right besides the page number as in MS Office and every other Office application.
See: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/show-word-count-3c9e6a11-a04d-43b4-977c-563a0e0d5da3#ID0EAACAAA=Newer_versions

Which versions of DesktopEditors, and which OS are affected by this issue? Did this work in previous versions of DesktopEditors?
v5.2.4

[Rita-Bubnova]

Hello, @uncertainquark.
Thank you for your enhancement.
I created a new issue 40224 in our private issue tracker.

[moonmehta]

Can you assign an "Enhancement" label to this? Thanks.

[ShockwaveNN]

@uncertainquark done

[herzenschein]

I just wanted to mention that this is a critical feature for translators, editors and proofreaders, as word counting is the first step for stipulating the price for a document and the correct size for specific document elements.
The absence of this feature makes it impossible to fully implement OnlyOffice in translation agencies, so it would be truly appreciated if this was implemented.

[micah]

I also came here looking for this. I saw that this was put into #40224 in the internal issue tracker back in January. Has there been any progress you can report on this?

[ShockwaveNN]

@micah Sorry, no progress

[moonmehta]

#167 is related.

[moonmehta]

Any update on this?

[Rita-Bubnova]

@uncertainquark, the issue of placing information on the number of words in the status bar is still being discussed with our team.

[mashedkeyboard]

Adding a +1 to this - this is really essential for use in an education context, too.

Having the ability to select a part of a document and get the word count for that part is a basic feature requirement for a word processor used in any educational setting.

[RolandHughes]

Adding a +1 to this - this is really essential for authors. Both word and character counts in status bar.

[Hazy-Davy]

I just wanted to second what everyone is saying. Lack of word count in the status bar is the only thing that drew me away from OnlyOffice. It's a key feature.

[NullDev]

+1 from me as well :)
Would be pretty handy for University / School works with a certain word limit

[mvvvmd]

I got this request from a user, it would be very helpful to have this feature for out users.

[ShockwaveNN]

@mvvvmd you can contact sales@onlyoffice.com to speed things up

[mvvvmd]

@mvvvmd you can contact sales@onlyoffice.com to speed things up

I'll send a email, we are a paying customer so it could help, thanks.

[yoasty]

Another educator here. Needed for the word-counts. Copy and paste to a second doc is too laborious. Maybe a macro can show it as a temporary solution?
Can I say that Onlyoffice otherwise is absolutely brilliant for grading otherwise. docx and pdf guides in tabs (online epubs too), comments displayed on the side. I like it a lot. But wordcounts are a hassle.

[yoasty]

The "translator" plugin/macro already comes quite close. https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/sdkjs-plugins/tree/master/translate if you look at how it works, it uses the current selection. It opens a panel on the left and displays the translated selection. So if we could adjust tat macro to get the wordcount from the selection and display it, it could work.

[sinasartip]

I saw that they have word count in the document info. Its the selection and count feature that would definitely help.

[dllz]

Adding my plus one to this, new user trying it out as an office suit on Linux. Needs to have word count

[Julianlstar]

This is a big omission for my organisation which took a bit of convincing to move to OnlyOffice. We write a lot of documents that have set word counts. So having to paste sections into Google Docs to get a count is really unproductive. Although on https://www.onlyoffice.com/en/document-editor.aspx it does state that I should be able to do this.

[ShockwaveNN]

@Julianlstar

Although on https://www.onlyoffice.com/en/document-editor.aspx it does state that I should be able to do this.

If you mean this quote

Analyze your document: view word count, paragraphs, and characters with or without spaces

We able to do it:

This issue only for situation with display word count in status bar

[Julianlstar]

Thanks. Word count in the status bar would really help us as we write a lot of word count specific funding bids.

[godgeous]

@ShockwaveNN while this does work, it is difficult to get an understanding of the number of words in a selected part of the text. This is vital when you are looking at a part of a very large document. Like @Julianlstar said, it takes a lot of convincing in an organisation to move to open source and most people are only one excuse away from moving back.

[janxkoci]

In addition to the suggestions above, the word count should also take into account tracked changes - i.e. if a word is deleted using tracked changes, it should not count towards the total, or at least it should be differentiated. This is not the case even now in the info view of the document, while it's standard feature of other word processors. Although it's possible to get this info in OO if you change view of tracked changes on the collaboration tab first - then the info shows word count for that particular view / version.

Word / char counts for selections are also important - in academia, it's very common to have limits on the entire article as well as a separate limit on abstract length, so being able to select just abstract to see its word count is crucial. On the other hand, conference submitions usually set a limit on characters instead of words (usually as a web form limit during submission).

[BlipRanger]

Hello, sorry to re-engage this issue, but I wanted to check and see if there had been any progress on this and/or #167 . Both of these related features are super handy and should be fairly uncomplicated to implement. A simple split view on the status bar showing both the total and selected word count (I.e. “35 / 100 words”) would be perfect. Thanks.

[Rita-Bubnova]

@BlipRanger Sorry, there is no news on these issues.

[PiecePaperCode]

Its helpful when your writing an essay and want to check the word count without the titles and headers that i would count in.
Its the small things that make a product reach out to more people. For me its almost an deal breaker. I use another tool for counting words.

[RolandHughes]

Its helpful when your writing an essay and want to check the word count without the titles and headers that i would count in.
Its the small things that make a product reach out to more people. For me its almost an deal breaker. I use another tool for counting words.

That's a really good point.
When you pay for professional editing and a "bulk" word count is used, it counts the repeating header and footer text on each and every page. It really only should be counted on the first page. This inflates the cost of editing, not that it is ever cheap.

[janxkoci]

I didn't think anyone used the archaic "manuscript" format anymore.

I'm not sure but this sounds like what we academics use all of the time. I definitely don't use header nor footer sections at all in my manuscripts, the only time I see those spaces occupied is in university forms. And to publisher we send just text and they typeset it for printing in something else (I think they have proprietary tools for that).

But of course I don't know all the use-cases.

Currently I have to copy and paste content piece-wise into another software to get the word or character count

I would just open the text in LibreOffice or something similar, which has all the features we want here.

[BlipRanger]

I would just open the text in LibreOffice or something similar, which has all the features we want here.

I mean, I do this, but I'd really rather not. I use OO because I can use it in browser (with Nextcloud and other selfhosted file systems). Also, LibreOffice crashes for me a lot, so I prefer OO.

This story has a lot of interest and has been around for a pretty long time to not have gotten any traction.

[RolandHughes]

I would just open the text in LibreOffice or something similar, which has all the features we want here.

I mean, I do this, but I'd really rather not. I use OO because I can use it in browser (with Nextcloud and other selfhosted file systems). Also, LibreOffice crashes for me a lot, so I prefer OO.

Use LibreOffice, not OO. OO is the unwanted orphan. It is purported to still have an awful lot of Java code in it and that would be the source of your crashes. Java just bad. Even before OO moved to Oracle then Apache Java was bad. The default settings for JVMs and for the application itself was to allocate as little physical memory as possible so it could run on something like the original Raspberry Pi. I would run out of memory writing one of my books on a machine with 24Gig of RAM. Open a terminal and show memory only to find there was more than 16Gig free. OO was just trying to fit everything inside of 2Gig.

Java is just bad.

I say that as someone who has written two books on Java and has an OpenSource project written in Java.

Java is just inexcusably bad.

[janxkoci]

@RolandHughes I think by OO he meant OnlyOffice, not OpenOffice..

I fully agree java is bad though..

[RolandHughes]

@janxkoci Well, OO was in use for OpenOffice long before OnlyOffice ever appeared. OnlyOffice needs different initials. Maybe OO for OpenOffice and oo for OnlyOffice?

[janxkoci]

Actually I know OpenOffice.org as OOo. Regardless, the context made it clear in this case.

[RolandHughes]

Actually I know OpenOffice.org as OOo. Regardless, the context made it clear in this case.

Not to me man.

OnlyOffice is this novelty word processor that is a long way from "ready for use." The claims of 100% Microsoft compatible are really ludicrous. OnlyOffice doesn't support running alternating page headers and a rash of other things that most word processors on the market just do "out of the box."

Until it can completely format a book for printing, it's just not ready.

I write a lot of books. Early on, when I wrote for a traditional publisher I used Word Perfect under OS/2 (because professionals don't use Microsoft products.). From there I moved to Lotus SmartSuite (still the best office suite ever produced). After it was sunset I moved to OpenOffice. When Oracle bought SUN I and most of the world moved to LibreOffice.

All of these word processors could fully layout and format a book with different running page headers for right and left pages within each chapter. Footnotes. Index generated from Concordance file. Various word counts.

I like the look of OnlyOffice. I even used it to draft early portions of Dream Recorder before posting them on an author's blog, but it couldn't be used for the actual book. Just not up to the task.

This word count in the status bar is just one of the many critical features needed.

[janxkoci]

Yes OnlyOffice is incomplete, but so is Google Docs, which is also very popular these days. Some people are fine with that. Others aren't. My default office is LO, it does everything I need and the compatibility with MSO since version LO 6.x is near flawless. But there is a lot of historical baggage in the code, UX, and lot of stuff is very cumbersome or just plain pain to deal with. So after I found OnlyOffice I keep it on my radar and check it's functionality regularly. It noticeably improved even during the short period I follow it, so I think it's heading in a good direction. And it's open-source software made & backed by European company - what's not to love 😉

Anyway, we are spamming this thread with off-topic discussion, we should probably stop that.

[pktiuk]

What about this feature?
Over two years have passed and it is still missing.
Is there any ETA for this? Are you even going to implement it at all?
This is crucial feature for many users and it doesn't seem to be so difficult to implement.

[RolandHughes]

What about this feature?
Over two years have passed and it is still missing.
Is there any ETA for this? Are you even going to implement it at all?
This is crucial feature for many users and it doesn't seem to be so difficult to implement.

If you don't expect OnlyOffice to be production quality you will have an easier life. Personally I gave up on this project.

[mohamadali-halwani]

OnlyOffice is really awesome! libreoffice tends to be slow and unstable.
I can live without a wordcounter temporarily, but not for so long.
A wordcounter in the status bar is one of the killer features. I'll still be using onlyoffice depending on external wordcounters or plugins, but I'd love to see this implemented already.

[janxkoci]

@mohamadali-halwani Note that OnlyOffice has word count feature (File > Information about document). This issue is only about showing that info also in the statusbar (with possible improvements).

[RolandHughes]

@mohamadali-halwani Note that OnlyOffice has word count feature (File > Information about document). This issue is only about showing that info also in the statusbar (with possible improvements).

That would be complete misinformation.

The issue isn't "only" showing the count in the status bar. The issue is the word count they have is basically useless.

1. You cannot get a word count of a selected region.
2. The word count does not exclude running page headers/footers which should never be included in a word count.
3. The word count does not display in the status bar so one cannot "write to target."
4. The only reason alternate page headings aren't included in the word count is the fact OnlyOffice hasn't matured enough as a word processor to support different page layouts for right and left pages, yet claims to be 100% compatible with MS Word.

[janxkoci]

@RolandHughes That's what I meant by "possible improvements".

Your suggestions are great, but they will probably get implemented in steps. Some points are already tracked in different issues. This issue has originally been opened to just show the word count info in the statusbar, with further discussion improving the idea further.

My comment was merely to point out that some (limited) word-counting feature already exists in OnlyOffice (in case the commenter didn't know about it) and that this issue is (or was originally) about change in UI to show it in another place (statusbar), while other improvements are asked for in other issues.

[dllz]

I think since its already been so long that we have been waiting for this, it is not a priority for the management team.

[RolandHughes]

It be dead. It be dead. It be dead dead dead.

I've stopped installing OnlyOffice on machines. Manjaro now offers a choice between LibreOffice and FreeOffice or something like that. It appears not much has changed since I wrote this in 2019.

https://www.logikalsolutions.com/wordpress/information-technology/best-linux-word-processors-in-2019/

Other than OnlyOffice is moving farther down the list. The version of FreeOffice with Manjaro Linux has fixed many of the issues it previously had running on Ubuntu.

[mohamadali-halwani]

@mohamadali-halwani Note that OnlyOffice has word count feature (File > Information about document). This issue is only about showing that info also in the statusbar (with possible improvements).

Thanks for the info man, but as @RolandHughes stated, we already know that onlyoffice contains a word-counter. The issue is how featureless and useless it is.
I think I'll go back to libreoffice since the development team, obviously, do not prioritize their app.
This is so unfortunate.

[janxkoci]

I don't think OnlyOffice is going to die so easily 😉

For start: OnlyOffice is an open source project developed by for-profit company. It has viable business model, where it provides companies with cloud office that allows collaborative editing of documents yet keeps those documents private (you can even set up your cloud/server and never use OO servers). And because it's open source, anybody can make a fork or pick up the code if left abandoned. But I'm not going to worry about that.

Now, @RolandHughes and others mention several problems with OnlyOffice, some of them sounding more serious than "word count" (e.g. page layout issues and MSO compatibility). These issues probably have higher priority than "word count". Hence this particular issue may seem stalling (or may require work that seems unrelated, such as the proper handling of "running page headers/footers", and so is not visible within this issue).

Heck, even GDocs doesn't show word count in statusbar (as they don't even have statusbar) and they are doing more than okay.

So yeah, if you write books, this might not be for you. If you want to edit forms from your institution, this might be a better use case. Especially if those documents are confidential - with open source tools you (or security researchers) might see if the documents can get compromised. With proprietary tools like MSO, GDocs or SoftMaker FreeOffice, you have to trust the corporations making those tools. And some people will always have problem with that and will prefer open source option. And OnlyOffice knows all of that ☺️

[RolandHughes]

Well, LibreOffice is OpenSource and getting better with each release now. There was a lot of instability over the years as they were ripping out Java. That has leveled off now that Java is basically removed. Only a couple of plug-ins yet to be killed off.

Your analogy though, is incorrect. IBM launched the OpenSource Lotus Symphony project. IBM is a long way from bankrupt I think we can all agree. They abandoned it and turned the code over to LibreOffice. Why? They make more money with Lotus Notes and this was a means to create a shiny new editor for Lotus Notes.

There is no place on the cloud that is secure.

Remember that and your life will be better. When it comes to places online there are those we know to be hacked and the rest we just haven't found out about yet.

[herzenschein]

I'd argue that this specific feature should have at least some priority.
As stated before, its absence is also hindering people from making money with it, not simply irking people who want that feature.

[janxkoci]

this specific feature should have at least some priority

I never said it has no priority. Just that its priority is probably lower than some other issues mentioned in this very thread. However that's only my guess, since I'm a user, not a dev of OO.

@RolandHughes I honestly don't get your comment, what is it about. Except I fully agree that LO is getting better (well Writer at least is finally usable; I never had problem with Calc and Impress is still terrible, but Writer finally rocks!).

Can we stop spamming this thread please? I'm sure we made the devs unsubscribe anyway at this point. So just thmbs up on the comments you agree with and maybe somebody will collect the score...

[RolandHughes]

Can we stop spamming this thread please? I'm sure we made the devs unsubscribe anyway at this point. So just thmbs up on the comments you agree with and maybe somebody will collect the score...

I don't consider it spam. There is immense dissatisfaction and it needs to be voice.

[janxkoci]

There is immense dissatisfaction and it needs to be voice.

This is not how open-source projects work, especially if the software is free (as in zero price tag). If you ain't paying the devs to do something for you, then this equals to nothing else than unhelpful cries. However if you are paying customer of OO, then I'm sure you can contact their business department about the issues you have.

Bug trackers are for people who want to help resolve the issue, not complain about it ad infinitum.

[RolandHughes]

Bug trackers are for people who want to help resolve the issue, not complain about it ad infinitum.

You can always unsubscribe from this thread.

Actually, I participate in quite a bit of OpenSource. This is exactly how they operate. I actively participate in LibreOffice message threads in this same manner. In a properly run OpenSource project, the number of complaints combined with the amount of detail about said complaint directly correlates to the weighting. The tasks with the highest weight are the ones that get included as targets/goals for the next release.

This isn't really and OpenSource project.

Oh, you can download the source, create your own fork, and all of that rot, but this is an ulterior motive OpenSource project. One must compare it to IBM Lotus Symphony rather than LibreOffice or any number of other fully OpenSource projects. This project exists kind of as cast off or bait if you will. It's fallout from trying to make a for-profit project. The same was true with Lotus Symphony when IBM dredged up the old name for a fork of OpenOffice. They were only interested in an OpenSource project that could deliver a new editor for Lotus Notes (and a few other products.) After that, it was abandoned. LibreOffice did end up with the Navigator out of that project.

Likewise with OnlyOffice, the desktop doesn't generate any revenue. For-profit endeavors will always focus on the revenue. For-profit entities will always focus on big shiny new features rather than bug fixes. Why? Because big shiny new features bring in paying customers (theoretically) and Microsoft is proof you never have to bother fixing bugs.

[janxkoci]

I subscribe to this thread because I want to know when the feature is added, not when somebody screams "i want it too" or "this free program sucks".

But I guess I can just notice it in the statusbar when it arrives, so - good bye.

[w202mg]

+1 after almost 2 years this issue was opened.

[RolandHughes]

Honestly, I uninstalled OnlyOffice from every machine. It just came up too short in too many places. They didn't find out what professional writers needed and start there with the design. They tried to AGILE this thing. That's why this word count thing is taking forever. They didn't architect a proper solution. The word count is fundamental to many other word processing features needed by professionals.

[w202mg]

@RolandHughes well, for my purposes OO is still the best solution, but I use it with Nextcloud in collaboration with others. After messing around with Collaborra I decided to stay with OO. I missed this counting only now in one particular case. Otherwise, I would nod note it. For the others for sure much more important but I would also like to have it in order to switch to other working ways as seldom as possible.

[janxkoci]

Just moments ago, I noticed the feature is here!! I can see a new word count widget in my status bar:

OO version 7.3.0.184 (flatpak).

I have no idea in which version it appeared (recently I guess), but this issue can be closed. I may open a new issue about the missing translations in the widget, but that's a low priority for me at the moment.

Edit: It still doesn't reflect selected text, so it's not as full-featured as some here would like, but I'm sure that will come in a future update.

[janxkoci]

Hi again,

just found this plugin that has all the other features we wanted, like counting words in selected part of text.

Check it out: https://www.onlyoffice.com/en/app-directory/word-counter

In OnlyOffice Desktop 7.4 and higher you can find it in a new marketplace in the Plugin manager.