How can Calc be set to highlight the row of the active cell

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#1

I have many-columned worksheets that would be easier to read and update if the row of the active cell were high lighted from border to border. I understand how to highlight the row by clicking on the left most border (row number), but it doesn’t stay highlighted when I move the cursor to a cell on the line.

Am using Win7 Pro and LInux Mint 17.3.

According to the document foundation this issue apparently has not been solved (tried the macros and could not get them to work). https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=33201

Have any way to automatically highlight active row and column (focus cross).
Select all columns and rows
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#2

Please state your OS so others can help you better.
You can check your ‘Options’ under the Tools-menu. In the Calc → General settings you can activate ‘Highlight selection in column/row headers’ this will indicate the cell position in the row and column indicator line.

#3

I am using Win7 and LO Version: 5.3.4.2 - I can’t replicate your problem. When I select a complete row or column, this will stay in it’s selected color while I move the mouse over the cells. Highlighting first disappears when selecting a cell in that row/column.

#4

@Henk1: that option doesn’t help much with wide sheets. What users want is depicted here and in this answer and most importantly, in this bug open since 2011. What’s so difficult about changing the translucency of a row, boggles my mind, but I haven’t worked with the LO codebase.

1 Like
#6

It’s a questionable approach to use “macros” for the purpose.
How to do it and how to call the macro with the help of a listener is demonstrated here: [Solved] Automatically highlighting the active row (View topic) • Apache OpenOffice Community Forum
The solution is only applicable to sheets that do not use hard (direct) cell formatting.
To preserve directly assigned cell attributes would require to apply a conditional format to overlay the highlighting. There are complications and disadvantages, however, again.

(Editing:)
I added a demo how to use CF for the purpose to the above linked thread. Not actually recommended!

#7

The demo is pretty cool, and I’ll upvote because it directly answers the question. But yeah, probably not good for common use.

#5

Instead of highlighting the row, create a cell style that has a background color.

Then go to Format → Conditional Formatting. Input a formula for alternate rows to use the style, as explained at Is there a way to add background color to alternate rows of a table/spreadsheet?.

#8

I have a similar need to the original post of 13 Nov 2017:- “I have many-columned worksheets that would be easier to read and update if the row of the active cell were high lighted from border to border.”.

What I found to give the same effect is to press Shift+Spacebar … and the row containing the active cell is highlighted in light pink; likewise Ctrl + Spacebar highlights the column containing the active cell … (from border to border in both cases).

Both commands are standard L/O Calc keyboard commands found under Tools > Customize > Keyboard in the top Menu line of Calc.

Using the horizontal and vertical scrollbars will retain the highlighted row (or column) when viewing columns ( or rows) that were outside the initial window.

Even though the above does not automatically highlight the row (or column) containing the active cell, I find it easy, practical, and effective.

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#9

Well, they finally implemented it, but I don’t know when. Just ran across it when doing something else in the “View” menu:

View → Column/Row Highlighting

I have 24.8.2.1

#10

look into the releasenotes

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