https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=171096
--- Comment #2 from Eyal Rozenberg <[email protected]> --- (In reply to ady from comment #1) > When importing data, you are telling Calc in which way the data should be > interpreted. This is not the same as the way the destination cell is (nor > should be) formatted. These two are not the same, but the former has implications regarding the latter. And the user _expects_ such implications - especially when Calc actually puts those implications into effect initially. > Moreover, imposing the choices made during the import > procedure over the format of the destination cells will cause all sorts of > problems. > > A typical example is when importing data that should be interpreted/parsed > as dates, in the DMY format. Calc takes the literal data in the Import Text > dialog column as "DMY" (whether it is DD/MM/YY, or D/M/YYYY or whichever > similar data). The destination cells could be formatted as YYYY-MM-DD, which > is completely different than the way the original literal data was initially > imported. That's not possible. That is, Calc will (, I am pretty sure,) not show a DD/MM/YY date in a field whose number format is a YYYY-MM-DD date. But it _does_ show a piece of text beginning with 0 in a field whose number format is General. Also, even if somehow that was Calc's behavior with dates - your argument would still hold: * If I'm importing via File > Open, then there is no existing formatting. * If I'm importing via a paste, then I should have the choice of whether to keep or override existing formatting. And certainly not a half-measure like overriding existing formatting initially, then applying the existing formatting if I make any changes. > So, if you want the cells to be considered as Text, simply format the cells > as Text ("@") There is no "if". The user _does_ want the cells to be considered as text - they say so. And Calc even initially obliges the user, since that is the obvious intent. > This is a common misunderstanding of what the import text dialog is supposed > to do. It most certainly is not. But if you believe the import dialog should have no effect on formatting after import, then you should file a bug about that, because right now, it _does_... just not consistently. -- You are receiving this mail because: You are the assignee for the bug.
