Re: [libreoffice-users] Merge cell problem LO3.3.2.2

On Sat, 2011-06-11 at 20:04 +0100, Tom Davies wrote:

> Hi :)
> These mails go out to a lot of people and are stored in archives for years but 
> you are all good so far.  With 500 people i would move it to a proper database, 
> Base, rather than keep it on spreadsheets.  
>
>
> The spreadsheet sheet that you have already can be the main table.  Base can 
> read it without doing much to it.  Then instead of using a 2nd sheet use a 
> "Query".  The formulas are almost exactly the same and it ends up looking like a 
> table anyway.  When you are more comfortable with Base then you can do fancy 
> forms and mail-merges, labels and stuff to make a prettier tables, or for 
> letters, "id badges" and stuff.  
>
>
> Regards from
> Tom :)
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> > From: Roxy Robinson <rocmar62@ranchwireless.com>
> > To: users@global.libreoffice.org
> > Sent: Sat, 11 June, 2011 18:59:53
> > Subject: Re: [libreoffice-users] Merge cell problem LO3.3.2.2
> >
> > Tom,
> > Thanks for your suggestions - I guess I will have to try that since I'm  not 
> > getting what I want with what I'm doing.
> > This is "off" the subject issue,  but I come from a very small town. My high 
> > school class - 1961 -  was the  first to got over 50. We had 60 in the class, 55 
> > who "walked" on graduation  night. The other 5 finished in summer school. The 
> > classes continued to grow  after that, though I don't think they ever went over 
> > 100; and are probably  running around 70-75 now, if not less.
> > I just finished organizing my class's  50th reunion and am now putting together 
> > a reunion for the classes of 1955-1964.  The total number of students during 
> > that period is, according to my spreadsheet,  500. I dare say, I knew, and 
> > remember about 490 of those, along with quite a few  others from the classes 
> > before and after. We were all like one big family - you  usually knew whole 
> > families because you knew someone in your class, or within 2  or 3 years of your 
> > class. Your classmates were, essentially, your group of  friends.
> > Anyway, every class in this group has, in some format, a database of  their 
> > classmates and their information. Each class has a few that have gone  "missing 
> > in action", but we are all working together to find everyone. This will  be the 
> > 4th, I think, combined reunion like this over the past 50 years, and this  
> > combined database is something that got started after the first one. But, it has  
> > not been updated since the last reunion in 1997. Every classmate - there are a  
> > few exceptions - has given there info to freely share with everyone. And  
> > everyone at this reunion will receive a copy of this spreadsheet I'm working  
> > on.
> > Roxy
> >
> > Hi :)
> >
> > I did something similar once.  It's easier  to keep the data intact, in the 3
> > separate columns for data entry and for  sorting the lists into alphabetical
> > order and stuff but then use a 2nd  worksheet (2nd tab at the bottom) to use
> > formulas to add the 3 names  together. eg
> > A2 = Sheet1.A2 & " " & Sheet1.B2 & " " &  Sheet1.C2
> > You might have renamed the worksheet tabs so just swap the new name  for 
> > "Sheet1"
> > but still make sure there is a dot . after it and before the  cell address.
> >
> > There are issues with "Data Protection" and respecting  people's right to 
> > privacy
> > but if they have given you their addresses and know  that it's for sharing 
> with
> > the whole class then that sort-of implies that  they have given you 
> permission.
> > I'm not sure wheter it's legally enough but  it probably gives you a good
> > position.
> > Good luck and regards from
> > Tom  :)
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > > From: Roxy Robinson  <rocmar62@ranchwireless.com>
> > >  To: users@global.libreoffice.org
> > >  Sent: Sat, 11 June, 2011 15:51:55
> > > Subject: [libreoffice-users] Merge  cell problem LO3.3.2.2
> > >
> > > I have a 15 page spreadsheet of classmate  addresses, phone numbers, email, 
> > etc.
> > > I "manipulate" this information in  several different ways to give my 
> > classmates
> > > different kinds of  "directories". Anyway, their names are in the first 3
> > > columns. This  particular spreadsheet is going to include ALL the information 
> > on
> > > each  person, will be printed on legal sized paper in landscape format, so I  
> > need
> > > a little more room to contain everything on the width of the  page.
> > > So  (SEVERAL TIMES) I have merged the cells in the first 3  columns. This
> > > contains  the parts of their names, and allows me to  conserve enough room to 
> > get
> > > everything on the width of the page. But  every time I close LO, and then 
> come
> > > back to work on this spreadsheet,  the cells are no longer "merged". They 
> will
> > > not stay merged. I haven't  gotten all the way through the spreadsheet - at 
> > one
> > > time - to merge the  cells. Would the "un-merged" cells that are left in the 
> 3
> > > columns keep  the ones above them from staying merged, or am I doing 
> something
> > > wrong? I  just don't understand - time after time - I merge them, come back  
> > and
> > > they are no long merged??????????
> > > Roxy
> > >
> > >  --
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To follow up with Tom on using Base to store the data. You can import
your spreadsheet data into Base easily by

1. Create a database  and a table with the data elements you want
copied. For best results have the order column the same in the
spreadsheet and database table. If a numeric key is used in the
database, insert a column with a unique number for each row. Normally
each row in a database is assigned a unique number key as the key.

2. Open the spreadsheet and copy the data range and header.  

3. Right click on the database table with select paste. It may take a
few minutes for the data to be copied over.

I did this with spreadsheet with about 470 rows by 7 columns  with no
problems.

-- 
Jay Lozier
jslozier@gmail.com

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