LibreOffice Writer menu bar

[Qqmike]

In the Writer menu bar across the top, there are these functions:
File Edit View Insert Format Styles Table Form Tools Window Help

Problem here is that that menu bar (those words across the top!) is sometimes present and sometimes not present.
It seems that if I begin to work on a document, somehow, magically, that menu bar may appear at the top; whereas it wasn't there when I first opened the document.
How do I get that menu bar at the top to stick always?

For the life of me, I can't find a configuration option to do so.
(I do see the various icons across the top, representing various tasks, but I greatly prefer that "regular" top menu bar.)

[TinyTim]

On the menu bar, check out "view" and "toolbars". I have mine set to standard. Maybe something got changed there by mistake. If you scroll down to bottom inside "toolbars" you will also see a customize section. It may be set to full screen view.

[Qqmike]

Thanks. Everything seems to be set to "Standard." Nothing set to "Full Screen View."
(But, frankly, there are so many settings, and I don't really fully understand them all.)

I don't like this, but in several experiments, it worked to bring up the top text menu bar:

1 Open a Writer document.

It opens fully, but that top menu bar is solid black -- there is no "File Edit View Insert Format Styles Table Form Tools Window Help"
but there is room for it! As I say, it's a horizontal, across-the-top, blacked out bar.

2 Next, minimize the document that's open on screen.

3 Next, maximize it, and then everything looks normal!
That very top menu bar shows correctly "File Edit View Insert Format Styles Table Form Tools Window Help" on a black background.

On Step 2: that minimization action could also occur incidentally if I stop work on the document and open, say, a Firefox tab, and the Firefox screen fills the monitor screen.
And then when I return to the Writer document, it looks normal.

[Qqmike]

Boy, this is gonna sound weird ...

That Menu Bar is above my Title bar! It's as if the Menu Bar is detached from my Writer screen.

(By Menu Bar, I mean that black bar with white text: "File Edit View Insert Format Styles Table Form Tools Window Help")

I realize that sounds nuts.

[Qqmike]

Well, so here's the story. The problem is not yet fixed.

1 Open a Writer document.

It opens fully, but that top menu bar is solid black -- there is no "File Edit View Insert Format Styles Table Form Tools Window Help"

2 Next, minimize the document that's open on screen.

3 Next, maximize it, and then that menu bar shows correctly "File Edit View Insert Format Styles Table Form Tools Window Help" on a black background.
However, the menu bar is not below the Writer title bar, as it should be. It is above it.
In fact, the menu bar for Writer is at the very top of my screen! It seems to be fixed there, and detached from my Writer window.
If I minimize the Writer window, the menu bar remains at the top of the monitor screen.
If I just reduce the Writer window to make it smaller, the menu bar is not in that Writer window -- it is at the very top of my monitor screen!
So the Writer menu bar is detached from the Writer window, and it is fixed at the top of the monitor screen.

[jlittle]

...
In fact, the menu bar for Writer is at the very top of my screen!

That's usually called a "global menu"; KDE calls it an "application menu bar". It's the way macs have worked from the beginning (I'm not sure if they still do). Not all applications support it. It's useful for small screens. The Ubuntu Unity desktop did this by default, IIRC.

To get it with KDE right click the desktop, add panel, application menu bar, To stop it, remove the panel (right-click the panel, not on a task manager or system tray, enter edit mode, more options, remove panel). Of course, with KDE you can move the panel to left, right, or bottom of any screen, or I've heard make it floating on plasma 6.

[Qqmike]

I'm hesitant to remove it because, AFAIK, it's the only place I am seeing the menu bar for LibreOffice Writer documents (when they are open and I'm working on them),
the menu bar containing: "File Edit View Insert Format Styles Table Form Tools Window Help"

[Qqmike]

I opened a Writer document, .odt, and took a screenshot.

Notice there is no menu bar below the title bar.
No where is this menu: "File Edit View Insert Format Styles Table Form Tools Window Help"

[Qqmike]

In post 8 above, I simply minimized that document, then I maximized it, and at the VERY TOP (above the Title Bar),
there is a bar with black background, and white letters showing this menu: "File Edit View Insert Format Styles Table Form Tools Window Help"

[Qqmike]

Screen shot for post 8 above, showing across the top the menu bar at the very top.

It is NOT showing that menu bar in the screen shot I just posted here.
But ... if I open that screenshot .png on my desktop, that top menu bar is there!
How strange.

[jlittle]

I'm hesitant to remove it because, AFAIK, it's the only place I am seeing the menu bar

When I added the application menu bar panel, LO writer's menu bar was in that panel. When I removed the panel, I had to restart LO writer to get the menu bar back. This on plasma 5.27.

[Qqmike]

Thanks for testing it, jlittle.

So, it sounds like I shouldn't worry about this "issue"? Is that a conclusion here?
I DO (finally) get that LO menu bar at the * very * top of the screen,
although it does * not * appear below the LO title bar (as all the LO guides indicate it should) ... 🤔

[TinyTim]

Thanks for testing it, jlittle.

So, it sounds like I shouldn't worry about this "issue"? Is that a conclusion here?
I DO (finally) get that LO menu bar at the * very * top of the screen,
although it does * not * appear below the LO title bar (as all the LO guides indicate it should) ... 🤔

I'm not sure, but I think you might be looking for a different style of "window decorations". Let me know If I am correct.
On your desktop flyout -Go to "settings" "Appearance" "Windows Decorations" there is a Theme and Titlebar Buttons TABs. Titlebar Buttons should get the desired layout you seek. Although I did not test to see exactly which one, I did encounter this once before when a upgrade decided for me that I would like the more difficult cumbersome style better.

[Qqmike]

As I see this, it's the "menu bar" that I'm having trouble with. The "title bar" is OK. (I did look at the Titlebar Buttons.)

[Qqmike]

Beginning to wonder if I even understand windowing!
Searched wide and far, can't really see anything directly applicable.
But here's more clarity on it -- screenshots.

This is the Desktop, nothing is open, there is a black (empty) bar at the very top of screen.


Now, I opened a new Writer document, I reduced it in size, and dragged it down somewhat.
See the LO Writer Menu bar at the very top of this shot, that topmost bar you saw on my Desktop.
It is obviously detached from my Writer document screen, as you can see, but the other regular (standard) LO Writer toolbars are present in that document window.
Here:


Now, fact is, I have worked with this situation forever, right? Didn't notice anything weird until just recently.
So I can live with this deal. I do heavy word processing almost every day.
But I'm wondering if I'm missing something in my understanding of windows, configuring, LO, etc.
What if I did need to have the LO Writer Menu bar below the LO Writer Title bar (as, I think, it should be)?