Issue 104175 - Ref to blank cell behaves differently than Excel
Summary: Ref to blank cell behaves differently than Excel
Status: CONFIRMED
Alias: None
Product: Calc
Classification: Application
Component: viewing (show other issues)
Version: OOo 3.1
Hardware: All All
: P3 Trivial (vote)
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: AOO issues mailing list
QA Contact:
URL:
Keywords: oooqa
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2009-08-12 02:24 UTC by luke_d
Modified: 2013-03-25 11:19 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Issue Type: DEFECT
Latest Confirmation in: 3.4.1
Developer Difficulty: ---

Attachments
This spreadsheet demonstrates the problem: Cell B3 shows "TRUE" in OpenOffice Calc and "FALSE" in Excel. All other cells display the same value in both applications. (16.00 KB, application/vnd.ms-excel)
2009-08-12 02:26 UTC, luke_d 		no flags Details
Updated test case which also shows the behaviour of ="" (16.00 KB, application/vnd.ms-excel)
2009-08-12 08:12 UTC, luke_d 		no flags Details
Add an attachment (proposed patch, testcase, etc.)

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Description luke_d 2009-08-12 02:24:55 UTC 
In Excel, a cell whose formula is a cell reference to a blank cell will have a
value of zero.  The value of this cell compares "not equal" to an empty string.

In OpenOffice Calc, a cell whose formula is a cell reference to a blank cell
will have some kind of hybrid value which looks like zero but also compares
"equal" to an empty string.
Comment 1 luke_d 2009-08-12 02:26:28 UTC 
Created attachment 64083 [details]
This spreadsheet demonstrates the problem: Cell B3 shows "TRUE" in OpenOffice Calc and "FALSE" in Excel.  All other cells display the same value in both applications.
Comment 2 amy2008 2009-08-12 07:56:59 UTC 
IMO, OOo works well.
Because B1 =A1, A1="", so I can induce B1 =""
B3 =B1="",
So, B3=TRUE
Comment 3 luke_d 2009-08-12 08:12:59 UTC 
Created attachment 64087 [details]
Updated test case which also shows the behaviour of =""
Comment 4 luke_d 2009-08-12 08:15:59 UTC 
amy2008 how would you explain the value in cell B2 then?
I have uploaded an example with an additional column (D) with D1 containing the
formula ="" so that you can see how B1 behaves differently than an empty string.
Comment 5 amy2008 2009-08-12 09:26:09 UTC 
to luke_d,
>amy2008 how would you explain the value in cell B2 then?
I have checked your second attachment, I know what you said exactly.
But I don't know why 0 in B1, so I can't explain the value in B2.
Comment 6 Edwin Sharp 2013-03-25 11:18:26 UTC 
Regardless of Excel, inconsistent logic by AOO:
If A2 and B1 and B3 return TRUE and 0, blank=zero
But if C3 returns FALSE (like Excel), blank is not equal to zero
Contradiction!
Rev 1400866 and Excel.
Comment 7 Edwin Sharp 2013-03-25 11:19:35 UTC 
Excel 2010...