Why does EXACT function does not show expected result?

[ROSt53]

LibO 4.2.6.2 Calc / XP

I need to compare a longer list of text being located in 2 colums on a row by row level To see quickly which rows have different values in both columns I used the EXACT function which, according the Help file, “Compares two text strings and returns TRUE if they are identical. This function is case-sensitive.”

Colum B contains the EXACT function
Column C and D contain in each row the text I need to compare

Example
B3: Formula: =EXACT(C3,D3) Result: TRUE
C3: “Date submitted” (without quotation marks)
D3: “Completed” (without quotation marks)

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for your help in advance.

[Lupp]

What am I doing wrong?

Sorry! Don’t know.

I just can tell you that EXACT() is returning FALSE as expected with exactly the example you posted with LibO 4.3.0 with AutoCalculate ON under Win 8. What is your environment/settings?

Editing:
Refering to the comments on Karolus’ post I attach an example. IT IS ACTUALLY A JOKE. ask38530StrangeResultExact001.ods

[ROSt53]

Thanks your for mentioning “AutoCalculate”. This was the solution. I always have AutoCalculate ON thus did not think about this possibility as the rout cause. Gosh, I am happy that I am back to normal again. I did not understand the world of spreadsheet functions anymore. ------ Also thanks to all the other who started thinking about a solution.

[Pedro1]

That is odd. Just tested on LO 4.2.5 and 4.3.0 and I also get FALSE. Can you share a file with the error?

If you type =C3=D3 you should get the same result as EXACT. Do you get a different result?

[karolus]

Hallo

This result is only possible, if there are exactly the same Values in both Cells,
but C3 is formatted with Formatcode "Date submitted"
and D3 is formatted with Formatcode "Completed" [1]

[1]the Thing which is visible for the User, can be completly different from the real Value stored in the Cell, if the Format hides any Value.
Most of all Calc-functions reflect only the underlying Value not that what is showed through Formatting

Karolus

[Pedro1]

Your answer does not make any sense. Please re-read the question. Cell C3 and D3 contain TEXT. The EXACT function is comparing two TEXT strings.

[Lupp]

@Pedro1: Did you notice that Karolus isn’t exactly a sucker? He does, of course know that there is always the other possibility: A bug, may it even be a very strange one. (Or a wrong option setting as I took in account.)
@Karolus: ROSt52 isn’t a sucker either. Assuming what C3 and D3 show displayed is the result of their number formats and their actual values are numerical would imply that ROSt52 has posted a trick question. Not very likely for the polite gentleman he is. Did you joke?

[karolus]

@Pedro1
I’m read the Question very well, and my Answer is already a lucid explanation for this behavior.
The other possible. →Tools→Cellcontents→Autocalculate is off as @Lupp has answered.

[Pedro1]

@Lupp, his answer does not apply to the question. Your answer probably does. We have to wait for feedback and/or a sample file from Johnny (aka ROSt52) @karolus, can you explain how Formatting can affect comparing two TEXT strings? You explanation is lucid, it just doesn’t apply to this problem.

[karolus]

@Pedro1
There is actually no such idemnity that it is really Text, only Rost is able to check that.
I may not assume that your are not knowing talking about !?

[ROSt53]

To all of you - Thanks for the discussion. I apologize for not getting the idea to look at AutoCalculate myself because I always keep it on. Current explanation I have is that this happened during my upgrade from 4.2.5.2 to 4.2.6.2 because in the older version I worked on spreadsheets with functions and all worked fine. However, that upgrading caused the AutoCalculation to go OFF is only a speculation. It was only @Lupp mentioning this possibility that struck my like a thunderbolt.