> Brewster Gillett wrote: > > I have a list of names and addresses I maintain using OpenOfficeCalc. > > It does just fine - I don't need any database features.
Andreas Saeger wrote: > And you don't need any spreadsheet feature. What you need least is the > flexibility of a spreadsheet where you can tear apart any list structure. > What you need most is the structure of a database which keeps your row > sets tightly together in any case. bg: So you are saying that OOCalc doesn't do a good job of keeping the cells in their appointed place? How is it "tearing apart" to simply request the application of a provided function, the "SORT" command? bg: > > What I got back was a list whose sort began, as expected, > > with 97005. Proceeded on nicely in fine numerical order, > > right on through to 98685. Trouble is, that only covered up through > > the 271st item of the 337-item list. Following the 98685, it began over > > again with a new 97005, and proceeded on through the numbers from there. andreas: > What you need is a database where a field of numbers contains numbers > and sorts numerically and a text field contains only text which sorts > alphabetically. bg: Silly me - I always thought spreadsheet cells defaulted to numeric, and you only had to tell them to format differently if you wanted dollars, or dates, or something else. So far as I can possibly be aware, the five-digit numbers I have entered into the column for ZIP codes have all been entered as straight numbers. andreas: > A spreadsheet is a highly flexible calculator. It has absolutely no > concept of tables. There are only rectangles of cells. Every cell is an > unrelated atom which can take any type of value, never rejecting or > enforcing anything. Most people do not understand what is going on when > they type a sequence of digits into a cell. bg: That being the case, it would be very useful if you could explain to us all what *is* going on. I was not aware that a column of cells with simple numeric values in them had to be a "table" in order for that column to be sorted in straight numerical order. Keep in mind that (and I apologize for not making this clear in my initial query) my previous versions of OOCalc never did such a thing, going back several years, and several versions. Up until my recent upgrade to 3.1, when I asked for a ZIP sort, that is what I got. IOW the behaviour I describe in my query is something new to 3.1. andreas: > You need a database and everything will be fine, consistent and easy to use. bg: Through 40 years of using, selling, installing and supporting IT, one of the philosophical points I have tried to keep in mind is that there's little point in hauling in a state-of-the-art hydro-cyber-pneumatic CNC 6-axis pounding apparatus of 437 moving parts with a 4-inch-thick operating manual to do a job that could be accomplished in three seconds with the simple ball-peen hammer hanging above my workbench. I do not need to invest the easily 60 to 80 hours required to learn the intricacies of Base, if I can serve my needs with Calc. Do I? I have only ever encountered one database program that was easily accessible right out of the box, and it does not, sadly, have a Linux port. All of the rest I have ever encountered seem to require you to first go locate all the special Legos you need, then assemble them into a working all-terrain vehicle, and be prepared to reassemble the Legos periodically when something doesn't work right owing to incorrect assembly. I could do it, but I am not inclined to invest that amount of time. Is it unreasonable to expect a seemingly simple "SORT" function to perform what would seem to be an exceedingly straightforward task? Especially when, in previous releases of OOo, it has always done so? Brewster -- *********************************************************************** Embrace a sharing community of sustainable justice low-carbon diversity *********************************************************************** W. Brewster Gillett [email protected] Portland, OR USA *********************************************************************** Simply because you don't like to hear it, that doesn't make it untrue. *********************************************************************** --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected]
