Linked cell does not have any formatting

English
#1

I probably have the wrong terminology here and that may be why I can’t find any answers… but I have a primary cell in a spreadsheet with some data in it, say A1. Actually right now it’s just text, but portions of the text are bold, while other portions are a smaller size, for example. Over on another sheet I have a secondary cell linked to it by simply using the function =$'Sheet1'.A1. The linked cell does display a copy of the text from the primary Sheet1.A1 cell, but none of the formatting is there… why’s that? Example:

image

Desired result would be for B1 to be an exact copy of A1, and update itself whenever A1 is changed.

Thanks

#2

There is no way, you can only get the result of the linked cell without any format.

#3

Ah, ok… why’s that? seems like a bug then, to me…

#4

Maybe for you, but all spreadsheet programs work in that way.

1 Like
#5

That could be said about anything that is broken :joy:

.>>> This lines was deleted by @Hrbrgr <<< “Please remain factual. Thank you.”

So still didn’t answer my question as to why it is that way. Will file a bug report then as time permits.

#6

Could you please suggest what a cell should look like, when its formula is

=A1&C1

when A1 has green background, and C1 has red one?

The fact is: spreadsheets work with numbers, text, and formulas. Their formatting is just a means for convenience. And the formula like =A1 is the least useful formula, of all the infinite continuum of all possible formulas.

It just would be useless and totally inconsistent to copy such formatting for a special case of some strange formula, let alone make it play nice with the style assigned to the formula cell, and possibly with conditional formatting, and so on…

1 Like
#7

That is a different case, where you are talking about the cell’s format, not the cell content’s format.

#8

It’s not; but just to please you: suggest where the original colors from A1 should go in A2 and A3 :wink:

image
image890×830 76.1 KB

1 Like
#9 
=A1

»asks« for content, but NOT for any single-chars Formating-attributes

#10

@mikekaganski Yes, it is. Text in cells cannot have individual background colors, only the cell can have background color. You are conflating the original issue with a different one, a logical fallacy. Your example is thus also flawed: A2 is only working with the number and you have not indicated a desire for any formatting, likewise in A3 you have defined a format for the cell which would probably override any formatting you want to copy from A1’s contents.

#11

@karolus Yes that’s what we’re after, single-chars Formating-attributes. So maybe a different formula/function is needed.

#12

Yes you guess it!
https://api.libreoffice.org/docs/idl/ref/interfacecom_1_1sun_1_1star_1_1text_1_1XTextCursor.html

#13

It is not, and differences between cell format vs. content format are irrelevant - just because in Calc, just as with all spreadsheet programs, char formatting is absolutely marginally useful feature. It may only be applied directly (or by automation - but then use automation also for copying it), and the whole essence of spreadsheets and formulas is massive calculations. It may only be applied to texts, and spreadsheets are predominantly are about crunching numbers. So having a formatting that is only applied manually, and having a function that would handle that, just goes against the intended use of the software. Yes you are welcome to use it as you like, but it’s your problem that your idea misuses it.

Note that in spreadsheets, the most useful formatting is exactly cell formatting, not individual characters’ formatting. And so, my questions handled mostly the mentioned most useful thing, but your “not indicated a desire for formatting” is… funny. You haven’t an idea how much desire I indicated here in A2. At least no fewer than your screenshot :slight_smile:

#14

@karolus Thanks, but I’m not sure how this is supposed to be used…

#15

@mikekaganski Well mike, just because something is in the margin or marginally useful (to you, or even a majority of others) does not mean it needs to be ignored. That’s a very poor outlook to have on anything.

The whole point of asking this question to begin with was so we can copy character formatting by automation, which is the “whole essence of spreadsheets and formulas” just as you mentioned. There’s nothing against the intended use of the software here.

This’ll be my last reply to you as I don’t have the time nor get paid to debate strawman arguments.

#16

Nobody is paid here. We are all volunteers.

If you don’t like how it works, there are other spreadsheet programs, with price or not. But as I know, no one does what you want, maybe strange for you.

#17

@mariosv No one said otherwise, but if no one was allowed to make suggestions because we didn’t like how things worked, we’d all be stuck on version 0.1 still. Please stop posting irrelevant and unhelpful responses. karolus seems to have a solution, actually, if you are reading. How to utilize/implement it is not clear, though.

#18

You’re saying what can I do or not, too much.

BTW, you con suggest on the right place (which it’s not here).
Or pay for it to be implemented by some developer.

#19

Why? There are one or two people left who actually calculate with spreadsheets.
And your idea could break a lot of older sheets, so need to be switched on if needed - after implementation.
.
Main point: You are lucky here as the “manual” for this site tells:
Feature requests should go directly to Bugzilla as Enhancements
https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/enter_bug.cgi?product=LibreOffice&bug_status=UNCONFIRMED&bug_severity=enhancement

Don’t expect to much however…

#20

@mariosv So only you’re allowed to say what others can do or not? :joy: If you know where I can suggest why don’t you share it with me and the rest of us?

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