GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 455712
Allow user selection of a cell to be shown in the bottom bar
Last modified: 2011-11-04 18:24:15 UTC
This is a feature request. Often, when working with large worksheets, I need to see how the contents of a certain cell changes as I am updating the worksheet. However, as the worksheet is large, I need to go countless times to check the mentioned cell. To avoid these unpleasant movements, I propose the implementation of the following feature: where it is the sum in the bottom bar, let the user select the cell to be shown. Thanks for having developed such a nice tool as Gnumeric is!
Hi. Why is this more desirable than opening a second view to the spreadsheet where you could possibly even see more than just one cell?
(In reply to comment #1) > Hi. Why is this more desirable than opening a second view to the spreadsheet > where you could possibly even see more than just one cell? Because it is far less convenient, since one would have to be going permanently to the second view to see how the contents of the cell is changing. Putting the contents of the cell all the time visible in the view one is working is the most plesant solution in my opinion as an user. Maybe, it would be simple to add an option to the "sum in the bottom bar" to allow the user to choose a cell to be visible instead of having SUM visible. Paul
However, there is even a better solution: implementing the possibility of having two views of the same sheet both visible at the same time, likewise MS Excel does.
You are already able to have two views visible at the same time. Since each view is in its own window, nothing is stoppig you to have them side by side or above each other. That was in fact what I was suggesting? Am I missing something here?
(In reply to comment #4) > You are already able to have two views visible at the same time. Since each > view is in its own window, nothing is stoppig you to have them side by side or > above each other. That was in fact what I was suggesting? > > Am I missing something here? Your solution seems to be not as good as the Excel's one for (at least) two reasons: 1. not efficient use of the screen space, as the screen space occupied by the menus and toolbars is duplicated; this may be critical to people with small screens; 2. not very comfortable to people that are always switching from window to window (to check e-mail, to check the prices in the stockmarket, etc.) while inserting data in the spreadsheet. I am attaching a screen-shot showing the Excel's solution. Paul
Created attachment 91748 [details] Excel's solution
That doesn't look like a solution to me. It appears to me that in the top and bottom the same columns are shown, so scrolling horizontally would move the cells to observe out of sight. (I assume that the same is possible with a vertical split in which case vertical scrolling may have that same problem and splitting both vertically and horizontally, if that is possible, would waste important real estate in the two unneeded panes.
(In reply to comment #7) > That doesn't look like a solution to me. It appears to me that in the top and > bottom the same columns are shown, so scrolling horizontally would move the > cells to observe out of sight. (I assume that the same is possible with a > vertical split in which case vertical scrolling may have that same problem and > splitting both vertically and horizontally, if that is possible, would waste > important real estate in the two unneeded panes. No, Andreas, only the pane where the cursor is can be scrolled; the other pane does not move. Excel's solution is totally equal to yours with the difference that it is done in the same window and not in two windows. Furthermore, the line doing the split, can be moved up and down, and the user can consequently have a very small pane and another big one; in sum, it is up to the user to choose the size of each pane. Paul
OpenOffice spreadsheet adopts the same solution that Excel uses. I am attaching a screen-shot showing how it is with OpenOffice. Paul
Created attachment 91758 [details] OpenOffice's solution
Another screen-shot of OpenOffice is attached. Paulo
Created attachment 91759 [details] Another screen-shot of OpenOffice
(In reply to comment #9) > OpenOffice spreadsheet adopts the same solution that Excel uses. I am attaching > a screen-shot showing how it is with OpenOffice. Actually, OpenOffice can divide a sheet in 4 panes. See the attached screenshot. Paul
Created attachment 93549 [details] OpenOffice can have 4 panes open of the same sheet
We have the infrastructure to do this, I think. However, the multiple-view we have is far superiour if you have enough screen real estate. For example, we can have the second view on a separate screen.
(In reply to comment #15) > We have the infrastructure to do this, I think. > > However, the multiple-view we have is far superiour if you have enough > screen real estate. For example, we can have the second view on a separate > screen. Actually, OpenOffice has also got the multiple-view feature (Menu Window --> New Window). Paul
This problem (as named in the subject line) has been fixed in the development version. The fix will be available in the next major software release. Thank you for your bug report.
Many thanks, Andreas! Paul