Hi Steve
Olivier,
As you are aware I have noted some discrepancies between the Function
Wizard and the Help system with regards to the descriptions of the 500+
Calc functions. I have kept a list of the issues found so far and will
raise bugs in due course.
I am interested in these discrepancies because the Help system is
actually the reference information to users. Therefore, information
accuracy in the Help system is a quality issue and must be addressed.
However the scope of cross-checking the available sources of information is
wide and I’ve only really scratched the surface so far while updating the
relevant Calc Guide chapter.
Right, not a perfect world. LibreOffice implements both OpenDocument
Formula Function standard (ODFF) as well as many Excel function for
interoperability. Some function names are the same but with different
results or arguments, depending on several external factors (Excel
version, Excel change in naming and so on).
Once I have completed the draft Calc Guide chapter, I would be prepared to
carry out a more systematic and thorough cross-check of the function
descriptions over the next few months, as a background task. Would that a
worthwhile exercise?
In the Calc Guide point of view, my personal opinion is that it can turn
the chapter into an extensive reference, which can turn the book a bit
too heavy, having pages and pages of esoteric
math/sciences/financial//computer sciences/.../ functions, perhaps
better fit into a "Handbook of LibreOffice Calc Functions" book on its own.
Would that be a worthwhile exercise? yes definitely. Everyone will benefit.
Help system: must be as accurate as possible with respect to the current
software implementation.
the "Handbook": will be a wonderful piece of work for LibreOffice Calc.
500 or more functions is not a small task, though.
Note: We often see a mix of objective in product documentation blurring
Reference info and Guide info. To try to make things a bit clear, the
software Help system must be reference-oriented, where information is
factual and accurate (and dull). For example, the Help system should not
be used to explain the math behind the COS function. The same COS
function can figure in a Guide with some trigonometry background info to
help user in achieving a goal, because Guides are essentially
goal-oriented information.
Cheers
PS ODFF 1.2 standard is described in
http://docs.oasis-open.org/office/v1.2/OpenDocument-v1.2-part2.html