Not all spreadsheet applications limit their results to scalars. Excel, at
least, has array entities. I quote, hopefully without treading on anybody's
copyright toes, from the help:
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A basic, single-value formula produces a single result from one or more
arguments or values; you can enter either a reference to a cell that contains a
value or the value itself. In an array formula, where you might usually use a
reference to a range of cells, you can instead type the array of values
contained within the cells. The array of values you type is called an array
constant and generally is used when you do not want to enter each value into a
separate cell on the worksheet. To create an array constant, you must do the
following:
· Enter the values directly into the formula, enclosed in braces ( { } )
· Separate values in different columns with commas (,)
· Separate values in different rows with semicolons (;)
For example, you can enter {10,20,30,40} in an array formula instead of entering
10, 20, 30, 40 in four cells in one row. This array constant is known as a
1-by-4 array and is equivalent to a 1-row-by-4-column reference. To represent
the values 10, 20, 30, 40 in one row and 50, 60, 70, 80 in the row immediately
below, you would enter a 2-by-4 array constant: {10,20,30,40;50,60,70,80}.
============
As with many things, users start off with the 'simple' cases, but can find it
frustrating when they gain more experience and hit problems that require more
complex results. Perhaps a J-based spreadsheet could offer an interesting
migration path for such people?
Stuart
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On
Behalf Of Randy MacDonald
Sent: 10 June 2006 5:14 PM
To: General forum
Subject: Re: [Jgeneral] spreadsheets
Hello Donna;
I've noticed this with my experience with APL spreadsheets: because the possible
result from an APL/J expression can be any valid APL/J object, it is not so
clear where the result goes. Spreadsheets, with an expression system that can
return only scalars, "put the result here" is obvious and trivial. If you do
limit the possible APL/J expressions to only the ones that return scalars, you
severely limit the language. This was a showstopper for me.
Perhaps if spreadsheet cells could contain arbitrary arrays...
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|\/| Randy A MacDonald | APL: If you can say it, it's done.. (ram)
|/\| [EMAIL PROTECTED] |
|\ | |If you cannot describe what you are doing
BSc(Math) UNBF'83 þas a process, you don't know what you're doing.
Sapere Aude | - W. E. Deming
Natural Born APL'er | Demo website: http://156.34.89.50/
-----------------------------------------------------(INTP)----{ gnat }-
----- Original Message -----
From: "dly" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "General forum" <[email protected]>
Sent: Saturday, June 10, 2006 12:31 PM
Subject: Re: [Jgeneral] spreadsheets
> what is needed is a spreadsheet where j or apl can be invoked in each
> cell and that could be added to an existing spreadsheet as an option
> if there is any open code spreadsheet application Donna
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
>
> On 10-Jun-06, at 11:27 AM, Bill Harris wrote:
>
> > "Steven H. Rogers" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> >
> >> Focusing on J Grid development to make it a tool for this type of
> >> application that people would use even if they don't know J might
> >> be a good marketing tactic.
> >
> > I agree. I think that spreadsheets for many (me, too, sometimes)
> > are sheets of electronic paper. It's easy to change the number in a
> > particular cell without worrying about the other numbers or about
> > the syntax of amend. With a spreadsheet, the numbers are in the
> > foreground; with J, the functions seem to be. That's generally
> > good, but sometimes
> > it's comforting to write down the numbers and have them sit there,
> > waiting to be transformed or perhaps edited.
> >
> > Bill
> > --
> > Bill Harris http://facilitatedsystems.com/weblog/
> > Facilitated Systems Everett, WA 98208 USA
> > http://facilitatedsystems.com/ phone: +1 425 337-5541
> >
> > --------------------------------------------------------------------
> > --
> > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
>
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