LibreOffice Calc crashes when sorting a range by column

[MarianoAbsatz]

Almost every time I try to sort a range of a large xls spreadsheet, localc crashes and exits.

I ran an strace in the hope that someone can find out what's happening.

$ lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS
Release: 14.04

$ apt-cache policy libreoffice
libreoffice:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 1:4.2.6.3-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
     1:4.2.6.3-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://ar.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty-updates/universe amd64 Packages
        500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty-security/universe amd64 Packages
     1:4.2.3~rc3-0ubuntu2 0
        500 http://ar.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ trusty/universe amd64 Packages

(in the following dump, I pressed [ENTER] a few times before trying to sort the range).

$ strace lowriter MySpreadsheet.xls
execve("/usr/bin/lowriter", ["lowriter", "MySpreadsheet.xls"], [/* 81 vars */]) = 0
brk(0) = 0x7fcdf15f5000
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
mmap(NULL, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7fcdf0a87000
access("/etc/ld.so.preload", R_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/etc/ld.so.cache", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3
fstat(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0644, st_size=142916, ...}) = 0
mmap(NULL, 142916, PROT_READ, MAP_PRIVATE, 3, 0) = 0x7fcdf0a64000
close(3) = 0
access("/etc/ld.so.nohwcap", F_OK) = -1 ENOENT (No such file or directory)
open("/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libc.so.6", O_RDONLY|O_CLOEXEC) = 3
read(3, "\177ELF\2\1\1\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\0\3\0>\0\1\0\0\0\320\37\2\0\0\0\0\0"..., 832) = 832
fstat(3, {st_mode=S_IFREG|0755, st_size=1845024, ...}) = 0
mmap(NULL, 3953344, PROT_READ|PROT_EXEC, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0) = 0x7fcdf04a1000
mprotect(0x7fcdf065c000, 2097152, PROT_NONE) = 0
mmap(0x7fcdf085c000, 24576, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_DENYWRITE, 3, 0x1bb000) = 0x7fcdf085c000
mmap(0x7fcdf0862000, 17088, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_FIXED|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7fcdf0862000
close(3) = 0
mmap(NULL, 4096, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7fcdf0a63000
mmap(NULL, 8192, PROT_READ|PROT_WRITE, MAP_PRIVATE|MAP_ANONYMOUS, -1, 0) = 0x7fcdf0a61000
arch_prctl(ARCH_SET_FS, 0x7fcdf0a61740) = 0
mprotect(0x7fcdf085c000, 16384, PROT_READ) = 0
mprotect(0x7fcdf0ca7000, 8192, PROT_READ) = 0
mprotect(0x7fcdf0a89000, 4096, PROT_READ) = 0
munmap(0x7fcdf0a64000, 142916) = 0
getpid() = 27990
rt_sigaction(SIGCHLD, {0x7fcdf0a9e460, ~[RTMIN RT_1], SA_RESTORER, 0x7fcdf04d7c30}, NULL, 8) = 0
geteuid() = 1010
brk(0) = 0x7fcdf15f5000
brk(0x7fcdf1616000) = 0x7fcdf1616000
getppid() = 27987
stat("/home/baby/Documents/Cuentas/Tarjetas", {st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=4096, ...}) = 0
stat(".", {st_mode=S_IFDIR|0755, st_size=4096, ...}) = 0
open("/usr/bin/lowriter", O_RDONLY) = 3
fcntl(3, F_DUPFD, 10) = 10
close(3) = 0
fcntl(10, F_SETFD, FD_CLOEXEC) = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGINT, NULL, {SIG_DFL, [], 0}, 8) = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGINT, {0x7fcdf0a9e460, ~[RTMIN RT_1], SA_RESTORER, 0x7fcdf04d7c30}, NULL, 8) = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGQUIT, NULL, {SIG_DFL, [], 0}, 8) = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGQUIT, {SIG_DFL, ~[RTMIN RT_1], SA_RESTORER, 0x7fcdf04d7c30}, NULL, 8) = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGTERM, NULL, {SIG_DFL, [], 0}, 8) = 0
rt_sigaction(SIGTERM, {SIG_DFL, ~[RTMIN RT_1], SA_RESTORER, 0x7fcdf04d7c30}, NULL, 8) = 0
read(10, "#!/bin/sh\n/usr/lib/libreoffice/p"..., 8192) = 61
clone(child_stack=0, flags=CLONE_CHILD_CLEARTID|CLONE_CHILD_SETTID|SIGCHLD, child_tidptr=0x7fcdf0a61a10) = 27991
wait4(-1,

[{WIFEXITED(s) && WEXITSTATUS(s) == 139}], 0, NULL) = 27991
--- SIGCHLD {si_signo=SIGCHLD, si_code=CLD_EXITED, si_pid=27991, si_status=139, si_utime=1, si_stime=1} ---
rt_sigreturn() = 27991
read(10, "", 8192) = 0
exit_group(139) = ?
+++ exited with 139 +++

[MarianoAbsatz (el-baby)]

I see the few [ENTER]s condensed into one.

Anyway, the strace output AFTER I pressed [OK] in the sort dialog is this last part:

[{WIFEXITED(s) && WEXITSTATUS(s) == 139}], 0, NULL) = 27991
--- SIGCHLD {si_signo=SIGCHLD, si_code=CLD_EXITED, si_pid=27991, si_status=139, si_utime=1, si_stime=1} ---
rt_sigreturn() = 27991
read(10, "", 8192) = 0
exit_group(139) = ?
+++ exited with 139 +++

[penalvch (penalvch)]

MarianoAbsatz, thank you for reporting this and helping make Ubuntu better. However, your crash report is missing. Please follow these instructions to have apport report a new bug about your crash that can be dealt with by the automatic retracer. First, execute at a terminal:
cd /var/crash && sudo rm * ; sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get -y upgrade && sudo apt-get -y install libreoffice-dbg uno-libs3-dbg ure-dbg && sudo service apport start force_start=1

If you are running the Ubuntu Stable Release you might need to enable apport in /etc/default/apport and restart.

Now reproduce the crash, then open your file manager, navigate to your /var/crash directory and open the crash report you wish to submit.
If this fails you will have to open a terminal and file your report with 'ubuntu-bug /var/crash/_my_crash_report.crash' where _my_crash_report.crash is the crash you would like to report. If you get an error that you aren't allowed to access this report you will have to file it with 'sudo ubuntu-bug /var/crash/_my_crash_report.crash'. If you run the command against the crash report and a window pops up asking you to report this, but then never opens a new report, you would be affected by https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apport/+bug/994921 . In order to WORKAROUND this, one would need to open the following file via a command line:
sudo nano /etc/apport/crashdb.conf

and comment out the line:
'problem_types': ['Bug', 'Package'],

by changing it to:
# 'problem_types': ['Bug', 'Package'],

Save, close, and try to file the crash report again via:
ubuntu-bug /var/crash/_my_crash_report.crash

Please follow https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LibreOfficeBugWrangling when you file this crash report so the necessary information is provided.

I'm closing this bug report since the process outlined above will automatically open a new bug report which can then dealt with more efficiently.

Please do not attach your crash report manually to this report and reopen it.

Thank you for your understanding.

Helpful bug reporting tips:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs

[MarianoAbsatz (el-baby)]

Hi Chris,

Thanx for your help and patience.

I was indeed affected by bug #994921

I installed the symbols for libreoffice following your instructions and filled up bug #1370104

Regards.

[Frank Bicknell (fbicknel)]

erm: the bug you filed (#1370104) cannot be found.

Would you mind making sure that's not a typo? I have the same problem and would like to add to it.

[MarianoAbsatz (el-baby)]

Hi Frank,

It is not a typo, however, the bug is marked as "private". I think that means that only I (the reporter) and the "debug team" (or whatever) have access to it.

I think there's a policy that makes most (all?) bugs automatically reported to be marked private since they may contain private information in automatically generated dumps.

Or maybe, it is 'cause I posted an example spreadsheet to reproduce the bug. It was not me who marked it private (I took an effort to erase all private information from the spreadsheet).

Anyway, I'll copy here the information in the last three messages in that bug that may help people with the same problem.

~penalvch said that the bug belonged upstream (into libreoffice's bug report system).

I did NOT take the time to report it there but as of 2014-11-05 I got an update from the standard ubuntu repositories with libreoffice 4.2.7 (https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/libreoffice/1:4.2.7-0ubuntu1) and the bug was gone.

Scanning through the changelog I found a reference about changing the default sorting behavior which I guess is what solved my problem.

HTH