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Am 22.09.2011 09:26, Tom Davies wrote:
Hi :)
It is possible to change types of columns, rows, other selected areas or even individual cells.  
Select area or whatever and then
Format - Cells - Numbers
Then in the left-hand box select which data-type is most relevant.
Regards from
Tom :)


In any spreadsheet program each and every cell is supposed to take any type of data at any time (well, the validation layer can not really prevent anything).

Formatting attributes control the font type, color, border, or the representation of numbers. It is granted that no formatting attribute will ever modify your data. The number format locale determines how _newly_ entered data will be interpreted (1,234.99 vs 1.234,99 and 12/01/99 vs 01/12/99) Some special number formats, mainly "@", may also affect evaluation of _newly_ entered data without having any effect on existing data nor formula results (and this is a really important feature).

A formula starts with a =
An explicit text entry starts with a '
Number format "@" _prepares_ cells for literal input where = and ' and all thinkable numeric expressions, are taken as literal characters.

If you want numbers enter/paste/import numbers.
If you want text explicitly enter/paste/import text.
If your numbers look strange, format your numbers.
Text always looks the same (apart from font, color, borders...)

Since decades Excel users enter text and then complain about their data being text.
MS "solved" this problem in order to please the dumbest category of users.
Excel may evaluate a text "1.234" to one-thousand-two-hundred-and-thirty-five on one machine and to one-point-234 on another machine. 12/01/2011 evaluates to 12th of January on one machine and first of December on another machine.
In Excel SUM(A1:A2) returns 0 while A1+A2 returns a sum of evaluated text.
Unfortunately, the latter may happen in LibO as well but only with pure sequences of digits (integers) and with strings that represent an unambiguous ISO date.


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