How to disable "error in entered formula" message?

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#1

I have text file cell, I want to write -/2 (null out of two), because that’s just what I wan’t to write.
My problem is - libbre office Calc is poping me this :

"LibreOffice Calc found an error in the formula entered.
Do you want to accept the correction proposed below?

=/-2"

and I need to click NO, NO, NO over and over again.

How do I disable this default behaviour? I cannot really find simmilar topic, nor find it in options. I want that behaviour : when I start with = I mean formula. When I not start with = I don’t mean formula. Never ever guees that - mean =, or whatever is happening there.

I like to disable any “auto” thing, but thats another story, as I like to have tools, but I don’t like when something is throwing those tools at me.

#2

You description is not clear, since entering -/2 into a cell would end in -2 (as a number) under normal circumstances and there is no autocorrect in that case, since -/2 has a clear mathematical and numerical meaning and calc absolutely correctly interprets as a numerical -2 value.


> : when I start with = I mean formula. When I not start with = I don't mean formula.

I’m pretty sure that you expect a spreadsheet application to be more sophisticated than your given simple rule (e.g. if you enter 03/27/2020 you surely expect this to be recognized as a date. And this should make clear, that your input always is subject to some recognition algorithm).

#3

@anon73440385
What I mean when I wrote “I have text file” was “I have text cell”, that’s my bad. (With text cell -/2 result in “bad formula”)

For me 03/27/2020 is not 100% clear to be always date, and if it was possible I would like to disable any input recognition algorithm. I can debug/find problems when they will become problems.

#4

if it was possible I would like to disable any input recognition algorithm

No - it is not.

#5

It is possible - just pre-format any range as text.

#6

OK - that’s true; expect the raising complaints on dysfunctional, counterintuitive calc application;-)

#7

“just pre-format any range as text” it doesn’t do the trick, that’s whats my issue is about.

I mean it doesn’t change stuff (on it own), to things that I don’t want, but it ask me if it can do it.

#8

Hello,

assuming you want to write -/2 into a cell, you need to tell calc that your input should be treated as text. Thus prepend a single quote to your text and write: '-/2 into your cell and you’ll get a textual -/2.

#9

This works for number-type cell, but for text-type cell /’/ sign doesn’t dissaper. (I got this wrong formula pop-up even when I marked all those cell as text cells in cell formating). But type of cell doesn’t matter for me, so I will switch to auto-type cells, and thats solution.
Thank you a lot! Can I somehow mark answer as “approved”?

#10

this works for number-type cell, but for text-type cell /’/ sign doesn’t dissaper.

You didn’t tell that you had pre-formatted your cells to text format (I never do that and rely on the recognition features of LibreOffice).

If the answer helped to solve your problem, please click the check mark (:heavy_check_mark:) next to the answer.

#11

Thank you for help

I’m not often using office apps and I’m way more used to strict editors, where I need to specify exactly what I mean and default action is no action.

#12

If you only want to use text, have you considered creating a table in Writer? There you can enter anything you want. Of course, then you are limited by the size of the page that you use, but it would work for moderately sized tables on your choice of paper (menu Format → Page, choose the Page tab, choose size up to A3).

#13

I think I don’t like Writer, I like to have infinite space, as I often use quite lot of it. I’m actually not using formulas 98% of the time, but sometimes I wan’t to put some formula. I like everything being a table and infinite space. I think I might start using libre office database program, as it looks interesting as I started wandering around in it.

#14

this works for number-type cell, but for text-type cell /’/ sign doesn’t dissaper.

but for cells pre-formatted to Text, the problem itself doesn’t exist. Pre-formatting a range of cells as text makes everything you enter there treated as text, and formula recognition doesn’t work there.

#15

@mikekaganski But my whole point of why I created this topic is that calc attacks me with sugestion to replace my text with formula, where I deliberately set all my cells to text. Reproduce : set cell as text, write in it -/2, and it pops up.

For text I can write -/2 and click no, for number cell I need to write '-/2, but I couldn’t find way to just write -/2 and not have any pop up.

#16

Ah! This is a bug then! Please file it. And remember to mention its # here. Thanks!

#17

Aaand, I did just that
https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=131638
“And remember to mention its # here”
I don’t understand it. Should I link this thread in bug report?

1 Like
#18

“And remember to mention its # here” I don’t understand it. Should I link this thread in bug report?

I meant that you write here the number of the bug you created - i.e., tdf#131638. You just did that when you provided the link to the bug in your comment - thank you again!

#19

Ok than. Thanks for help.
I’m not sure if that bug isn’t fixed in newer version, because during filling up that report I realised I’m not on newest version.

#20

No it’s not fixed; I tested and mentioned that in the bug. Thank you very much for your contribution to making LO better!

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