libreoffice calc - what is markup file?

[andy-andyo]

Calc is loading massive file in the .tmp files directory - called ‘markup’ files, (870Mb to 1.6Gig). Calc spreadsheet loading, copy, paste, and saving is very slow on my spreadsheet of 400000 rows. It used too take 10 minutes to save but latest save took 45 minutes. I’ve paste in a change to 5000 rows of records. When I Save the changed data these markup files appear.

Buggy too, i’m watching it in System Monitor. The buggy bit is Saving and then closing. I’ve had to reload and Save again, and then do the load and Save yet again to get Calc to clear all these so called temporary files from the temp file path.

It’s not as though you could go to Write to get on with another task while you’re spreadsheet is saving - because while the spreadsheet is Saving the whole libreOffice program is locked.

[Hagar_Delest]

The file may be tagged ‘markup’ because your OS has been told that the file with this extension should be called ‘markup’, that’s all. But they are very likely mere temporary files needed by Calc to handle the data.

Not sure that a 400,000 rows file is best handled by Calc. Maybe a database would be more efficient.

[andy-andyo]

Hi - a database would not be appropriate as all columns are numerical calculations, some of which are complex. I said ‘records’ but I should have said calculations.
Am I expecting too much of this program? I used to have an old copy (1997) of Excel, which I have to say was just hopeless at coping with spreadsheets like this, (my spreadsheet was smaller back then too). To deal with what I’m trying to do I have divided the spreadsheet into 3 and now working on fourth. 1st sheet 500k rows; which is now not editable as Calc cannot change the data; as changing a single row causes it to recalculate the whole sheet causing a runaway on 32Gig of memory and 64Gig of Swap file. Next sheet (no. 2), 400K rows continuing on from last row calculation in the 1st sheet, IS editable as already explained. Sheet (no. 3) 400k rows continuing - So in all I have a spreadsheet of 1.3 million rows. I need to keep going possibly up to 2 million rows or more, to resolve the calculation I am doing.
Andy

[Hagar_Delest]

I fear you guessed right about the capability of a spreadsheet application. I also have large spreadsheets (but far smaller than yours) and it is still a pain to wait MS Excel to open/save such files.

There might be more dedicated applications. You can try the forum (see link in my profile), there are power users also quite fluent with numbers, they may have some ideas.

[andy-andyo]

My comment about Excel was historic - I no longer use Windows in any form - my point was that Calc is better - but still has aspects that might be improved. It’s not my right to say as I am not a tech person, I am not a mathematician, I’m certainly not a programmer nor am I a power user, I’m just bumbling along trying to get a bit of visual analysis on a complex number problem.

[Hagar_Delest]

Agreed. But as a user, you’re completely entitled to expect as much as possible. Then, maybe there is a choice to be made but we have to know first where are the limitations.