Apache OpenOffice (AOO) Bugzilla – Issue 39471
Both text and formulas in a cell
Last modified: 2013-08-07 15:12:27 UTC
It seems we can't both have text and formulas in a cell. If you type « This is a formula : » and insert a formula, it's inserted and anchored to the cell but not after the text. So you get the text with a formula on it. The general idea would be to provide us with the editing feature available for Text Document but for editing cells. I need this feature to write « Range is [0;255] if unsigned or [-128:127] if signed » for example. Text + two formulas, in a spreadsheet cell. This issue is related to issue 36529, it has some interesting remarks about anchoring a formula for example.
So why can't we both have text and formulas in a Calc spreadsheet cell ?... When we can have them in a Writer text document. In Writer a formula can be anchored To Page, To Paragraph, To Character or As Character. But in Calc a formula can only anchored To Page or To Cell. It means they can't be anchored To Paragraph, To Character and As Character. We can admit that they can't be anchored To Paragraph because there's no paragraph in a cell but as a cell can contain text, so characters, formulas should be able to anchor To Character or As Character. Note that this anchor issue is also true for graphics. I will submit an other issue for Graphics in the future after we discuss this issue. Here comes some screenshots from what you get in Writer, Calc and what you have to do in Calc to get both text and formulas in a row. The trick is to move the formula.
Created attachment 20781 [details] Both text and formula in Calc spreasheet and Writer text documents
I submit my comments as I work on my document project, I hope these remarks will help us implement this feature. So this issue gets worse if you have to write some text, insert a formula and finish your sentence. As presented in the attached PDF document, updated from the other one with comments and new screenshots, you have to move the floating formula, add some spaces after your sentence and finish it.
Created attachment 20785 [details] Calc and Writer text + formula examples updated with comments, screenshots and new Calc text + formula + text examples
see also issue 35689 where it is possible to enter a formula and a comment or add a Note to a formula cell.
requirements have to decide
OpenOffice.org Issue Tracker - Feedback Request. The Issue you raised is currently assigned to 'Requirements' pending review, but has not been updated within the last 3 years. Please consider re-testing with one of the latest versions of OOo, as the problem(s) may have already been addressed. Either use the recent stable version: http://download.openoffice.org/index.html or consider trying the new OOo 3 BETA (still in testing): http://download.openoffice.org/3.0beta/ Please report back the outcome so this Issue may be Closed or Progressed as necessary - otherwise it may be Resolved as Invalid in the future. You may also wish to search for (and note) any duplicates of this Issue that may have advanced further by checking the Issue Tracker: http://www.openoffice.org/issues/query.cgi Many thanks, Andrew Cleaning-up and Closing old Issues as part of: ~ The Grand Bug Squash, pre v3 ~ http://marketing.openoffice.org/3.0/announcementbeta.html