Why does Calc insert formatting randomly

[Chasirwin]

Calc seems to insert formatting (bold, centering, etc) in my spreadsheets. (Excel did the same thing.)

[anon73440385]

… Calc insert formatting randomly

This is a false statement and hence nobody can tell why this false statement is true (logic borrowed from a very smart guy answering questions on this site)

[anon73440385]

@LeroyG - You are absolutely right and don’t take it too serious, but it doesn’t make this question better in any way. The only advice here is:

• Please take a minute and read this Getting Started
• Try to understand How To Ask Questions The Smart Way

[LeroyG]

@Chasirwin,

It may be that you are working on a previously formatted cell.

Some “keyboard shortcuts” (like Ctrl+B, Ctrl+E, Ctrl+L, Ctrl+R), or toolbar buttons (B, I), when pressed in a blank cell leave no apparent results, that become evident when data is entered.

[skyhook]

I experience unexpected formatting and assumed inserted cells adopted defaults. I didn’t investigate preferences to define defaults as I’d never settle, like choosing breakfast cereal.

Having said that, I just tested, and inserted cells inherit formatting from the lee of the shift direction selected. For example, pick shift right and the insert’s format is taken from its immediate left.

The exception seems to be inserting a new first row or column. If there isn’t a leeward cell, the new cell picks up default formats, which feels reasonable. So, next time I bump into mystery formatting I’m going to take better notes and judge if it the mystery fits within the model I just described.

[AdmFubar]

Are these sheet created by you? or are they templates from another source? and/or they originally excel files? I’m thinking there might be macros in this sheet that isnt working right.

[LeroyG]

@Chasirwin,

Possibly entire columns were formatted at the beggining.

So my suggestion is:

• select a cell from the first free row below your entries;
• press Ctrl+Shift+Down Arrow and Shift+Space bar (to select all free rows below your data); (EDIT: by error I first stated Ctrl+Shift+End).
• menu Format - Clear Direct Formatting (or Ctrl + M).

EDIT in response to @skyhook. .

.

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[skyhook]

LG: You are correct; it appears I assumed something wrong along the way, and I can repeat what you’ve demonstrated. Having proven that though, I don’t see the logic in this behaviour. Why rows but not columns? Is there a history or a user habit that I’m ignorant of, that would illustrate why rows and columns are treated differently?

[mikekaganski]

Why rows but not columns?

Because most of spreadsheet software is created around columnar data layout. Although the user is free to layout their data as they want (in rows or in columns), Calc is optimized for columnar layout; it is more efficient, and provides better support for, that kind of layout.

[sterling]

So it seems that all inserted rows take their default defaults (i.e. unless other wise defaulting from specific column defaults, etc) from the row above. I would like to see an option to have it inherit default formatting from the row below.
Then, perhaps ‘Insert Row Below’ could copy defaults downward from the current settings in the current row
and ’ Insert Row Above’ could copy defaults upward - again from current settings in the current row.

[MM86]

Hi,
In the first example how do you do 3rd part:

1. you selected B1
2. you added Row below with row 1 formating
3. you added Row above with row 1 formating

I don’t have menu Insert - Insert Rows. I have it on by toolbar at the bottom but when I use [insert row abovve] it uses formating of the row above the original row. So in my example:

1. I have 2 rows, each different format:
   Row 1 format A
   Row 2 format B
2. I select Row 2 and want to insert row above with format B
   Inserted Row has Row 1 Format A

[LeroyG]

@MM86

I don’t have menu Insert - Insert Rows

Menu Sheets - Insert Rows.
As a workaround, you can select the row, copy, and paste special, choosing to shift cells down.

[MM86]

Thanks @LeroyG
Sheet - Insert Rows - Rows Below doesn’t work; it will still use the Format from the row above.
paste special with shifting works fine
Thanks

[Chasirwin]

Ok, here’s a little more info. I have spreadsheets for my monthly expenditures. Entries are NOT bold and the “description” column is aligned left. At the end of the month, I insert two lines with a blank line in between 1st line is month totals, third line is Year To Date. I bold them and center justify the Description entries. Then I space down a line and start the next month. After a few entries, all of a sudden I start getting the formatting for the end of month rows. I haven’t done anything and it seems to happen at some random point. (As I said in the first post, it happened in Excel too.) I can’t find any way of seeing why this pops up especially as it doesn’t seem to do it in the same place - same number of rows - each time.

[LeroyG]

@Chasirwin,
Thanks for the new information. Please, repost it as a comment. To do that, hover on “more” (just above these lines), and pulse over “repost as comment under question”.

[mikekaganski]

… or better not as a comment, but edit your question to add this essential part of the question details there.

[mikekaganski]

This is tdf#113687.