GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 143846
Gnumeric implements Excel's mistakes when saving CSV files
Last modified: 2005-01-08 17:50:15 UTC
Open an existing CSV file. Edit it. Click save. Get a dialogue asking you to save as Gnumeric file. Expected result - the CSV file is saved, unless you press "Save as...". If you have added funcionality that isn't imported to CSV (and only if, not as a standard policy) Gnumeric warns you that might lose functionality (preferably telling you what functionality you'll be missing). I know how to use CSV files. That's why I saved the original data (before Gnumeric) in a CSV file. To me, it feels too much like the problems Excel causes when you try to save an editted CSV file. To see the problems in Gnumeric, save the file as a CSV file. Then quit Gnumeric (without touching the file). You get another dialogue requesting you to save. Expected result here - if you have saved (in CSV or otherwise) Gnumeric quits without saying anything. This is actually two bugs, but they are very similar. If you want, I'll open two different bugzilla entries.
I believe that more users use csv files to import data into gnumeric than to keep their data in that format. (With XL there might have been a reason not to store data in a proprietary format but this is not the case with gnumeric). Once data has been imported from an csv file, the average user will have added information that is not stored in csv so a warning as above would just be highly annoying. THe normal action should be to save the information in a proper spread sheet format.
I believe you're wrong, in several aspects. There are reasons to use CSV - it is a text format that contains only the data, which means it is smaller than most other formats. (Definitely smaller than XL) It is compatible with Excel, unlike Gnumeric. It is a very simple file format, so it is easy to use in Scripts via simple text processing. As regards to the inconvinience, let's try to examine it. Current situation ----------------- A user that opens a CSV file and intends to save it as a Gnumeric file. He opens the CSV, changes it. Saves at some point. When saving he reaches the "Save as" dialog, in it he has to select the file format and the name. This user meets the "Save as" dialog once. A user that wishes the CSV to stay a CSV file. He opens the CSV, but he meets the "Save as" dialog EVERY SINGLE TIME he saves. Every time he meets the "Save as" dialog, he has at least one more step than the previous user - he selects the file that already exists, and confirms overwriting it. (again and again, ad nausem). Having an Error dialog about the problems of CSV ------------------------------------------------ (Possible dialog - the CSV file format does not support graphs or formulas. We reccomend that you save in other formats. Would you like to save in a CSV format? Yes/No/Cancel) A user who wishes to convert CSV to Gnumeric. He tries to save once, reaches the error dialog, and presses No or Cancel. This returns him to the sheet, and he selects Save as command. Normal interaction with the "Save as..." dialogue. Addition to his work - one error dialog, one specific selection of "save as" instead of save. Possible ways of speeding this up - if the user selects "No" in the error dialog, the "Save as..." dialog opens automagically. A user who wishes not to convert CSV. Every time he presses save, he has to select Yes. Time saved - the time needed to interact with the "save as..." dialog (which can be considerable). Possible way of streamlining - if Yes is selected at one time, do not show this error again for this sheet in this session. Conclusion - This error dialog saves time, it doesn't waste it.
Regarding the user who wishes not to convert to CSV: The interaction with the "save...as" dialog should not be considerable: S/he should only need to select csv format and click okay. Everything else should be set-up correctly. So what this proposal does is move one required action from the user who wants to save as csv to the user who doesn't, with the potential of loosing information for the latter if they click okay in the error dialog but some formatting or content is lost. Since you belong to the former group I can see why you would prefer sucha change, but it doesn't look like it is going to happen.
I have seen your comments - would it be difficult to have Gnumeric remember the format last saved, so I will only jave to interact with the "Save As" dialog once? I use Excel at work (and home), Gnumeric at home. When I am using CSV files, Gnumeric *feels* much slower. I have no idea if it actually takes more time than Excel, but I suspect so. Changing Gnumeric a bit, since you are opposed to the error dialog, so it will remember the format once, will speed things up.