Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 88919
Signed document cannot be exported to PDF
Last modified: 2018-08-04 16:36:32 UTC
When a (writer) document is digitally signed, it can still be printed but it cannot be exported to PDF without destroying the signature. When trying to export to PDF, a dialog pops up: "Saving will remove all existing signatures. Do you want to continue saving the document?". Since exporting to PDF is equivalent to printing, this should be possible without restrictions.
Exporting to PDF is not equivalent to printing. It is more like exporting to RTF or Word format, afterwards you have a file in a different document format. However since we don't seem to have an issue for signature support yet, let's take this one.
adding Giuseppe and Malte on CC
I strongly disagree. PDF export is a usability feature. You should view it from a usability perspective, not from a programmer's perspective. Export to PDF creates a viewable/printable (but in essence immutable!) image of the document. It is not the same as export to RTF of Word, where you --indeed-- get an editable copy of the document in a different format. "Export as PDF" is a separate menu item, a separate toolbar button. With reason. Please reconsider changing this to DEFECT.
@pl. Double to issue 47895? Just to not loose the votes there, having a single issue for the same topic and the right component...
beppec56: you're right. So I'll change the headline back and set to defect again. However from a security point of you simply losing a signature without warning the user is a big "no-no". Anyway that would be a framework issue, not gsl. mt: what's your opinion ?
My comments on this: Signing a PDF is a different (and not implemented) feature, so this issue is about usability. I was astonished to see the "Saving will remove..." message, since we are not doing a "Save as" here, but an "Export". People can't rely on getting 100% features when doing an export to a different format. So we have 2 options: a) Simply ignore the signature when exporting to any format, no warning b) Different warning: "Document is digitally signed. The exported document will not contain the Signatures" [OK]. No Cancel needed, because that can be done when the export/FilePicker comes up. If we had some checkmark "never show this warning again" I would like to have B, otherwise it can become annoing. We do NOT have option C - simply export the signature. Independent from having a PDF signature feature: You can never export a signature! You create a new/different doc, so you need to calculate AND SIGN other hashes. You need the private key from the signer, so technically you can only export and sign again.
mt: I mostly agree. Exporting, just like 'Save As...', means creating a new document. The old (current) document does not change and hence its signatures (if any) will not be destroyed. No warning about losing signatures is necessary. Anyone who expects a signed document to save as or export into a new, signed document does not understand the basics of document signing.
Hi all, I agree that this report is due to a wrong message "Saving will remove all existing signatures. Do you want to continue saving the document?". Are you going to close this report by removing the current message? Bye, Giuseppe
MT->MAV: Please handle "Export" differently...
Reset assigne to the default "issues@openoffice.apache.org".
Already reported *** This issue has been marked as a duplicate of issue 47895 ***