When I did a previous list, just for my class, I used the merge cells function without any problems
whatsoever. That was over a year ago, so that spreadsheet was probably developed using OO, not LO.
So, that makes me wonder if there is something lacking, or a bug in LO that is causing this. I
still have that older spreadsheet, and can open it in LO, and everything is still just like it
should be, with the cells merged. Is there a default setting in the options somewhere that is
different between the 2 - OO & LO? Or, is this a bug? It seems to me that once you have told cells
to merge, they should stay merged until you "un-merge" them. What's going on here??????? I thought
this list was for answers????
Roxy
Hi :
I'm not sure why the merge-cells wasn't working. When i was running a similar
list i found combining cells made the list very unwieldy. Invariably i would
then need to sort the spreadsheet some unexpected way and that would be
impossible. By keeping each element separate in the table it keeps your list
flexible.
I agree about 11pt being the smallest and many people recommend 12pt for
accessibility issues.
With the database program it should be possible to create a special query that
fills a row with a single result. That would help get 1955 into a field/column
in all rows/records. Later you could add another class and set the query to
look-up whether the field already has an entry and if empty would put in the new
value.
Most people have real trouble grasping database programs. The 4 different
components; tables, queries, forms and reports with only the tables containing
the real data is difficult to understand. It's quite different from Word/Writer
where the data that you see is where it appears to be. In queries, forms and
records the data is not really there, it's only in the table. It's a bit like
html where pictures are not embedded into the document and have to be kept in a
good place that the html page can see.
Regards from
Tom :)
----- Original Message ----
From: Roxy Robinson <rocmar62@ranchwireless.com>
To: Tom Davies <tomdavies04@yahoo.co.uk>
Sent: Sun, 12 June, 2011 2:58:23
Subject: Re: off-list Re: [libreoffice-users] Merge cell problem LO3.3.2.2
Mine is set up on legal sized paper, landscape mode, so that I can keep the
font size up close to 11. When you're between 65 and 75 years old, it helps to
have a printout as large as possible. If you can't read it you might as well
not have it. The CD handout is a good idea, but I would say about 30% of this
group don't use computers - don't even want to look at one. Seems odd to me,
but then I've been playing with them since the Coleco Adam. And then there are
quite a few that have computers, a nice internet connection, an email address
and they don't know what to do with it. Its mostly for when their grandkids
come. You still have to "snail mail" them or call them on the phone.
So, to keep it from printing just one or 2 columns on another page, and where
everyone can read it, I have to stick with legal sized (8.5 X 14) paper.
I did start playing with Base. Figured out how to give it access to my
spreadsheet, but couldn't do anything with the "table" function, but did a
"query" and I think I would have to change my spreadsheet some to get the info
in properly. My spreadsheet is done by "class year", with the year in the first
cell of the row above where each class starts. I think from what I saw I would
have to add a column, probably column 1 with the year in each row of that
column, designating each person's class year. Then I also have deceased class
members listed at the end of each class. That listing has the person's name,
and if available, their death date. I believe, to get this info properly
transferred I would have to put each deceased person back in their "proper"
alphabetical order, but not sure about the death date - where to put it.
So, I will continue to play with this transfer to Base and see what I can
learn. But I still don't understand why the "merge cells" won't hold in my
spreadsheet???
Roxy
Hi :)
I have attached the spreadsheet. I did a lot of formatting and formulas on
the
2nd sheet. Hopefully it should be possible to open both spreadsheets at the
same time and then right-click on the tab you want to move into the other
spreadsheet/workbook.
I used "Tools - Options - Calc" to set formulas to be more compatible with
Excel
which makes them look like this
=IF(TableData!E9&", "&TableData!F9&", "&TableData!G9&", "&TableData!H9&". "=",
,
, . ","",TableData!E9&", "&TableData!F9&", "&TableData!G9&",
"&TableData!H9&".
")
If the ! have changed to . then it's gone back to Calc format in which case
the
compatibility setting probably doesn't matter as each program should convert
it
correctly.
After moving the sheet into the right spreadsheet/workbook you might need to
do
search&replace to change "TableData" to "Sheet1". Hopefully that should have
an
interesting result. Check the last few though because i might not have
copied
all the formulas far enough down.
I changed the page set-up to A4 rather than letter but it should still fit on
letter sized paper and switched to landscape and the font-size to quite
small,
10pt i think. It was the only way to get email addresses on the same page
as
the persons name.
It occurred to me that it might be an excellent opportunity to hand the
address-list out on Cd/Dvd/usb-stick this year so that people get the
electronic
versions of the list and also get the LibreOffice installers. It might work
out
cheaper & easier! WebMaster at Kracked Press might have good ideas about it
if
you want to explore that route. I am not sure which would work out best &
it's
up to you.
Sorry i didn't explore the Base methods. I just got a bit carried away
playing
with Calc :)
Thanks and regards from
Tom :)
----- Original Message ----
From: Roxy Robinson <rocmar62@ranchwireless.com>
To: Tom Davies <tomdavies04@yahoo.co.uk>
Sent: Sat, 11 June, 2011 21:48:49
Subject: Re: off-list Re: [libreoffice-users] Merge cell problem LO3.3.2.2
Tom,
I've attached a file that has 5 rows of data. All of them are MIA's with
address, etc, info that no longer has anything to do with any of them. The
way
my current spreadsheet is set up is like line 3. The LAST name is the last
name
as people would have known them by in high school. For females, that would
be
maiden names (why its in parentheses). The reason I was doing the merge on
names
is because it would take out almost the width of one column by merging those
3.
This would allow all the information to be printed on one legal sized page -
width, and still retain the 11 point font size (allows for easier reading by
this aging crowd). Its saved in xls format - I'm probably the only one in
this
group that uses LO. And probably only one of a handful that uses a
spreadsheet
of any kind. My smaller "class" directories generally fit on one letter size
page and I convert those to pdf to send out.
This big one I have until 10/2012 to get right so it can be printed out
and
distributed at the reunion.
Roxy
Hi :)
Can you create a copy of the spreadsheet, perhaps adding
"rocmar-2011-06-11"
to
the end of the filename and afterwards just change the data in that to
give
me
about 4 or 5 lines of faked data. I might have time to create a mock-up
and
you
might even be able to get that to read the right data, or just use it for
ideas.
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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- Re: off-list Re: [libreoffice-users] Merge cell problem LO3.3.2.2 · Roxy Robinson
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