https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=172740
Bug ID: 172740
Summary: [Request] Remove 3x3 minimum restriction for
AutoFormat in Calc
Product: LibreOffice
Version: 26.2.4.2 release
Hardware: x86-64 (AMD64)
OS: Linux (All)
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: medium
Component: Calc
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
Description:
Dear LibreOffice Development Team,
I'm writing to request a change to the AutoFormat feature in LibreOffice Calc.
Current behavior:
The AutoFormat Styles option is grayed out for selections smaller than 3
columns by 3 rows. This prevents users from applying quick formatting to simple
lists or datasets with 1-2 columns.
Requested change:
Allow AutoFormat to work with ANY selection size, including:
- Single column with multiple rows (e.g., 1 column × 5 rows)
- Two columns with multiple rows
- Any selection with at least 1 row and 1 column
Why this matters:
- Many users work with small/simple datasets
- Other spreadsheet software (Excel) allows this
- Current workarounds (temporary columns, macros, conditional formatting) are
unnecessarily complicated
- This gives a poor first impression to new users
Suggested solution:
Remove the "3x3 minimum" validation check in the AutoFormat code, OR lower it
to 2x2 as a compromise.
Technical context:
The relevant code files appear to be:
- sc/inc/autoformat.hxx
- sc/source/core/tool/autoform.cxx (Calc)
- sw/source/core/doc/tblafmt.cxx (Writer)
This seems like a simple quality-of-life fix that would benefit many users.
Thank you for your time and for maintaining LibreOffice!
Best regards,
Actual Results:
Dear LibreOffice Development Team,
I'm writing to request a change to the AutoFormat feature in LibreOffice Calc.
Current behavior:
The AutoFormat Styles option is grayed out for selections smaller than 3
columns by 3 rows. This prevents users from applying quick formatting to simple
lists or datasets with 1-2 columns.
Requested change:
Allow AutoFormat to work with ANY selection size, including:
- Single column with multiple rows (e.g., 1 column × 5 rows)
- Two columns with multiple rows
- Any selection with at least 1 row and 1 column
Why this matters:
- Many users work with small/simple datasets
- Other spreadsheet software (Excel) allows this
- Current workarounds (temporary columns, macros, conditional formatting) are
unnecessarily complicated
- This gives a poor first impression to new users
Suggested solution:
Remove the "3x3 minimum" validation check in the AutoFormat code, OR lower it
to 2x2 as a compromise.
Technical context:
The relevant code files appear to be:
- sc/inc/autoformat.hxx
- sc/source/core/tool/autoform.cxx (Calc)
- sw/source/core/doc/tblafmt.cxx (Writer)
This seems like a simple quality-of-life fix that would benefit many users.
Thank you for your time and for maintaining LibreOffice!
Best regards,
Expected Results:
Dear LibreOffice Development Team,
I'm writing to request a change to the AutoFormat feature in LibreOffice Calc.
Current behavior:
The AutoFormat Styles option is grayed out for selections smaller than 3
columns by 3 rows. This prevents users from applying quick formatting to simple
lists or datasets with 1-2 columns.
Requested change:
Allow AutoFormat to work with ANY selection size, including:
- Single column with multiple rows (e.g., 1 column × 5 rows)
- Two columns with multiple rows
- Any selection with at least 1 row and 1 column
Why this matters:
- Many users work with small/simple datasets
- Other spreadsheet software (Excel) allows this
- Current workarounds (temporary columns, macros, conditional formatting) are
unnecessarily complicated
- This gives a poor first impression to new users
Suggested solution:
Remove the "3x3 minimum" validation check in the AutoFormat code, OR lower it
to 2x2 as a compromise.
Technical context:
The relevant code files appear to be:
- sc/inc/autoformat.hxx
- sc/source/core/tool/autoform.cxx (Calc)
- sw/source/core/doc/tblafmt.cxx (Writer)
This seems like a simple quality-of-life fix that would benefit many users.
Thank you for your time and for maintaining LibreOffice!
Best regards,
Reproducible: Sometimes
User Profile Reset: No
Additional Info:
Dear LibreOffice Development Team,
I'm writing to request a change to the AutoFormat feature in LibreOffice Calc.
Current behavior:
The AutoFormat Styles option is grayed out for selections smaller than 3
columns by 3 rows. This prevents users from applying quick formatting to simple
lists or datasets with 1-2 columns.
Requested change:
Allow AutoFormat to work with ANY selection size, including:
- Single column with multiple rows (e.g., 1 column × 5 rows)
- Two columns with multiple rows
- Any selection with at least 1 row and 1 column
Why this matters:
- Many users work with small/simple datasets
- Other spreadsheet software (Excel) allows this
- Current workarounds (temporary columns, macros, conditional formatting) are
unnecessarily complicated
- This gives a poor first impression to new users
Suggested solution:
Remove the "3x3 minimum" validation check in the AutoFormat code, OR lower it
to 2x2 as a compromise.
Technical context:
The relevant code files appear to be:
- sc/inc/autoformat.hxx
- sc/source/core/tool/autoform.cxx (Calc)
- sw/source/core/doc/tblafmt.cxx (Writer)
This seems like a simple quality-of-life fix that would benefit many users.
Thank you for your time and for maintaining LibreOffice!
Best regards,
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