Re: [libreoffice-users] Calc multiplication & division formulas acting strangely (Mac 5.2.3)

Thanks again Brian.  Appreciate that you take time to comment and help!

Some additional comments inline below.

On 7 November 2016 at 23:53, Brian Barker <b.m.barker@btinternet.com> wrote:

> At 14:20 07/11/2016 -0500, Bonly Noname wrote:
>
> > On 2016-11-06 8:43 PM, "Brian Barker" <b.m.barker@btinternet.com> wrote:
> >
> > > At 20:06 06/11/2016 -0500, Bonly Noname wrote:
> > >
> > > > Today I created a spreadsheet in 5.2.3 (Mac) and each time I try to do
> > > > a multiplication with a decimal, Calc gives me a #NAME?. In cell A1R1
> > > > =4*1.5 gives #NAME? In each spreadsheet that I've opened I get the same
> > > > problem. When I do 4*150%, Calc changes the formula to =4*1.5 and gives 6.
> > > > Then I try =4/1.5 and I get #NAME?
> > > > [...]
> > > > What's going on here? What should I be looking into?
> > >
> > > This is exactly what you will see if your settings are for a locale
> > > which uses the comma instead of the point as the fractional separator (as
> > > many do). You can confirm this easily by entering (to modify your first
> > > example):
> > > =4*1,5
> > > - which should work.
> > >
> > > You need to tell Calc to expect the point as the fractional separator.
> > > Before installing any application software, select appropriate locale
> > > settings in your operating system. Only if necessary, modify the settings
> > > in the application. In LibreOffice, go to Tools | Options... | Language
> > > Settings | Languages and make appropriate selections there. (Oh, on the
> > > Mac, for "Tools | Options..." read "LibreOffice | Preferences".)
> >
> > Thank you Brian. I thought that was the issue, but I've tried =4*1, 5 and
> > it gives me Err:509.
>
> Well, it will - since you've inserted that unhelpful space! We need the
> number one-and-a-half, not the two separate numbers one and five. The test
> is =4*1,5 - as I suggested. I'm sticking with my suggestion that this will
> work!

This was just an additional space typo due to autocorrect or thumb typing
on my tablet.


> I can open old Calc spreadsheets with decimal inputs and have no problem
> > until I try to enter new numbers.
>
> That's also consistent with my suggestion. Formulae in existing documents
> are reinterpreted in the light of your new settings.
>
> I've noticed that if the formula is multiply by less than 1.0, the
> > calculation works.  As soon as I try any decimal greater than 1.0, I get
> > the #NAME?. =0.99 * 0.99 works =1.1*0.99 gives #NAME? =2*0.99 works =2.1*1
> > #NAME? Very weird.
>
> I don't immediately see what is happening here, but it has to be said that
> there are very many places where locales and languages are set. It's
> difficult to test every possibility without messing up my system. Note, for
> example, that the cell formatting has its own language setting (at Format |
> Cells... | Numbers | Language), though that ought to affect only the
> display of results, not the interpretation of input.

It is confusing.  As a summary, any number entered that is a decimal less
than 1.0 (one) can be entered OK and calculates OK.  Any decimal number
greater than 1.0 gives the $NAME# error.

I didn't realize that there was another language setting in the cell
format.  I've checked and it is set to the default which is "Canada
English".  So it is consistent (exactly the same) between the Mac OSX
10.10.5 and the various places in LO.


> You might want to get someone to look at a sample document to see what is
> happening.
>
> Brian Barker

I'm happy to provide a sample document.  How would I go about finding
someone who would look at it?

Thanks again,
B.

-- 
To unsubscribe e-mail to: users+unsubscribe@global.libreoffice.org
Problems? http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/how-to-unsubscribe/
Posting guidelines + more: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Netiquette
List archive: http://listarchives.libreoffice.org/global/users/
All messages sent to this list will be publicly archived and cannot be deleted