Re: [libreoffice-users] Strange issue with NOW() that i have not encountered before

On 10/30/2019 5:11 PM, Brian Barker wrote:
> At 20:02 30/10/2019 +0000, Pete Noname wrote:
> > I am having an issue with NOW() .
>
> Unfortunately for you, NOW() means "now"; it may be that you need a 
> THEN() function!
>
> > I am using =IF(ISBLANK(A3),"", IF( ISNUMBER(B3), B3, NOW() ) )
> > I have copied this by dragging the corner of the cell to 100 other 
> > cells the problem is when i enter data into a cell in column 3 ...
>
> Er, column A, perhaps?
>
> > ... the time changes in every cell in column 3 and it should not.
>
> You clearly don't want it to, but since NOW() means "now", it should. 
> By default, each time you make changes to a spreadsheet, formulae are 
> recalculated, and since all your formulae contain a reference to 
> NOW(), that will be updated to the current date and time, not the one 
> at which previous changes were made.
>
> > it does not in another sheet that is using exactly the same formula.
>
> One possibility is that you have AutoCalculate toggled off there, but 
> that will prevent *any* changes, so the original date and time will 
> not be inserted where you require it. You can use Recalculate to cause 
> new changes to happen, but - once again - that will affect all parts 
> of your spreadsheet and so change all the dates and times.
>
> One workaround is, each time you make an entry and create a new date 
> and time, to copy the cell contents and paste them back, but using 
> Edit | Paste Special... (or Ctrl+Shift+V, or right-click | Paste 
> Special...) instead of ordinary Paste. In the Paste Spacial dialogue, 
> ensure "Paste all" is not ticked and "Formulae" is not ticked. This 
> will remove the formula and freeze the contents of that cell. But note 
> that any later changes to the corresponding data cell will no longer 
> change the date and time in that cell.
>
> I trust this helps.
>
> Brian Barker
This reply confuses me.  The OP is using NOW() as the final option in a 
nested IF() statement.  So, to my understanding, NOW() should not be 
executed unless both of the first two options fail. Otherwise, it 
appears that the mere presence of the NOW() statement as one of the 
options causes the rest of the IF() statement to be rendered null and 
void.  To me, that behavior makes it a bug.

-- Tim Deaton


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