Peter Kupfer wrote:
Rick Barnes wrote:
On Fri, 2005-04-15 at 04:13 -0400, Daniel Carrera wrote:
Uhhmm... what's the differnece? Most people who know those terms use
them interchangably.
A formula is an expression like "=(4*3)+2" or "=A1+B1"...formulas begin
with an equal sign that designates them as a formula.
A function is a predefined procedure that returns a value based on
values (arguments or parameters) passed to it. Formulas can contain
functions.
This could be made a little clearer, but they are not synonymous.
IMO, this really isn't very important, perhaps a mention of it, but
functionally (no pun intended) I don't see a real difference. Is there
one?
"=SUM(1, 2)" is a formula that uses the SUM function. A formula can
contain multiple functions (where the result of one function becomes an
argument of another function). Also, users often create formulas, but
they rarely create new functions (I don't know if they can in OOo).
Whether or not you explain the difference in the Calc guide, writers for
it should understand the distinction and use the terms appropriately.
--
Janet Swisher --- Senior Technical Writer
Enthought, Inc. http://www.enthought.com
