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http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=68636
------- Additional comments from [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sun Jan 21 14:18:02 -0800
2007 -------
I think this bug should be re-opened. Here's why.
A common use for OO (and CSV) has got to be accounting-type calculations, where
everything is rounded to 2 decimal places. In this case, the default of "Save
cell contents as shown" makes sense.
Another (possibly less common, but nonetheless important) use is scientific, or
otherwise high-precision calculations. In this case CSV export is also far more
important, because that's often the easiest way to transfer data to/from custom
applications. The current setup fails miserably in this regard:
a) Excel, last I checked, preserves all decimal places by default. So,
people who are coming from Excel are unaware of the problem.
b) Data loss occurs, but it mightn't be immediately apparent. People waste a
lot of time as a result.
c) The checkbox is not easy to notice. An inattentive or unsophisticated user
will conclude that OpenOffice CSV export is broken, and will likely go
right
back to Excel.
d) If need full precision, the odds are that you need it all the time.
Remembering to uncheck the box, and making those extra clicks, is a
nuisance.
So, to summarize, this checkbox is terrible for people who care about decimal
places.
In contrast, somebody doing accounting type math:
a) (I surmise) does not need CSV export as often.
b) Does not suffer a major setback when a CSV is saved with full decimal
places.
c) Can achieve the desired effect even without finding the checkbox: by
using ROUND, by doing search-and-replace in a text editor, by hand.
So, the current state of affairs royally screws a (smaller?) group of people,
and gives a small benefit to (larger?) group of people.
I propose a variation on hvbakel's suggestions. The save dialog should look like
this when CSV file type is selected:
File list [...]
File name:
File type:
[x] Automatic file name extension
[ ] Save with password /grayed out/
[ ] Save cell contents as shown (may lose decimal places)
/after the initial install, this is *off*;
the checkbox remembers its state between save dialogs/
|> More options
This is an expanding pane, instead of the silly dialog. It is hidden in the
initial install, but it remembers its state (hidden/shown) from one save dialog
to the next. It contains:
Character set [...]
Field delimiter:
Text delimiter:
[ ] Fixed column width
This modification addresses:
a) Dataloss by default
b) Discoverability of the option
c) Annoyance at having to set the option to your preferred value every time
I also snuck in "change dialog to a pane", but this is optional.
It's certainly better for people with a reasonably large screen (1024x768).
It should be usable at smaller resolutions too, provided the layout is done
right.
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