https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=44419
Bug #: 44419
Summary: Allow column or row ranges in formulae
Classification: Unclassified
Product: LibreOffice
Version: LibO 3.4.4 release
Platform: All
OS/Version: All
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: enhancement
Priority: medium
Component: Spreadsheet
AssignedTo: [email protected]
ReportedBy: [email protected]
LibreOffice does not appear to allow column or row ranges in formulae.
Examples of these would be sum(A:A) to add all the values in column A, sum(A:C)
to add all the values in columns A, B and C, sum(1:2) to add all the values in
rows 1 and 2, etc.
MS Excel has this feature.
Personally I think it would be incredibly useful, and it counts as a deficiency
against LibO that it does not offer this.
One reason in support of this is that it is much simpler and quicker to enter
such ranges into formulae, rather than having to check and/or select ranges of
actual cells.
Another reason is that this feature is very powerful: if values are added
anywhere within the specified column range or row range, they would cause the
formula to be recalculated. For example, if we want to total all the values in
column A, which at one point contains values in its first 10 rows, we currently
have to use a formula of sum(A1:A10). If we then insert a new value into cell
A11, that formula will ignore this, whereas a formula of sum(A:A) would be
recalculated. I acknowledge we could get round this by using a formula of,
say, sum(A1:A20), and this would allow us to insert 10 extra values into column
A, but of course we still run into problems when we find ourselves inserting
yet another value, into cell A21 - Sod's law. Again, we could use a formula of
sum(A1:A1048576), but this is very cumbersome and it is obscure: it hides our
true intent.
A corollary to this enhancement would be to adapt the ADDRESS function to allow
it to return not just a cell reference, but a row reference or a column
reference.
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