"Harold Fuchs" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]... > On 07/07/09 00:10, Mike Shearer wrote: >> I have abandoned using BASE and use CALC instead. Very little of my CALC >> data is numeric. BASE was too hard to set up, the documentation was more >> confusing than helpful. >> >> But since the latest upgrade CALC has a serious bug. Copying a cell that >> is a formula into a set of other cells either crashes the job, or the >> copying works but the calculated values are not displayed. > > Errm. If you have a set of numbers in column A and then, starting in B3 > you enter the formula "=A1+A2" then B3 will contain the sum of A1 and A2. > If you drag the formula down column B then > B4 will contain the sum of B2 and B3 > B5 B3 B4 > > etc. > > If you now copy, say B5 into E5, E5 will contain **0**. Why? Because Calc > has automagically adjusted the formula to read "=D3+D4". This is the way > pretty much all spreadsheets work. When copying a *named* value ("A1" is a > "name"), the name's two parts (row number and column letter) are > considered "relative" unless preceded by a "$" symbol. > > Thus the value in cell A4 can be referred to in 4 different ways: > 1. A4 meaning that both the A and the 4 are relative and thus subject to > automagic adjustment as above. > 2. $A4 meaning the A is fixed (not subject to automagic adjustment) but > the 4 is relative. Copying such a value in the context above would result > in the column letter being copied as is but the row numbers being adjusted > as necessary. > 3. A$4 meaning the A is relative but the 4 is fixed > 4. $A$4 meaning both the A and the 4 are fixed. > > It is worth playing with these combinations to see the differences. In > particular, try setting B3 in the above example to > 1) =A$1+A$2 and then dragging B3 down column B > 2) =$A$1+$A$2 and then, after dragging B3 down column B, copy/paste column > B into, say, column F. > > Now, I'm not saying you haven't found a bug but your description of what > you see represents correct behaviour on Calc's part. Of course I don't > mean that "crashing the job" is correct behaviour. If you really get that > repeatedly please file a bug and let us know its number. > > Please also tell us which version of OOo you are using and on which > version of which Operating System. > > > Something >> as simple as setting up a running total in a column (B2 = B1+A2 etc), or >> setting a date column of every Monday in a year so that the entries are >> automatically worked out (cell A1 = first date, then A2 =A1+7 and so on) >> >> Mike Shearer >> Townsville, Queensland, Australia
Apologies for aiding and abetting the crime of thread-hijacking. I never noticed that I was replying to an off-thread question. -- Harold Fuchs London, England Please do *not* reply to my personal e-mail address. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
