[libreoffice-users] Question about Calc and user-defined number formats

2014-02-16 Thread Tom Williams
So, I installed LibreOffice 4.2.0 on a Windows 7 system today and was
showing the system owner how to use it.  I created a new spreadsheet and
added two columns and four rows, the last row being a total row that
would show the sum of the previous rows.

The first row I added was column headings.

The second row I added had text in the first cell and the number 50 in
the second cell.

The third row I added had text in the first cell and the number 40 in
the second cell.

The fourth row was blank.

The fifth row was the total row.  Cool.

So, I selected cells B2..B5 and used the Format/Cells function to
change the format to a currency format.  I chose the -$1,234.00 in red
format.  The numbers in column B were changed accordingly.  Then, my
friend wanted only the first cell with a number to have a dollar sign
and the numbers below it to NOT have a dollar sign.  So, I selected
cells B3..B5 and used the Format/Cells function to change the
format.  When the Format Cells window appeared, the Currency number
format was selected, as expected.  I went to the Format code box and
simply removed the $$ references, leaving the rest of the format code
intact.  The Category immediately changed to User Defined, which is
fine. 

Here's the problem:  after the category changes to User Defined, the
modified format code, which is still displayed, doesn't apply to the
selected cells and I can't find any way to save the modified currency
format as a user defined format I can reuse.  I tried changing the
comment of User-defined to something else, thinking that might be used
as a category name or something.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks in advance!

Peace...

Tom

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Stay with me... Sway with me.../

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Re: [libreoffice-users] Question about Calc and user-defined number formats

2014-02-16 Thread Brian Barker

At 11:27 16/02/2014 -0800, Tom Williams wrote:
I selected cells B2..B5 and used the Format/Cells function to 
change the format to a currency format.  I chose the -$1,234.00 in 
red format.  The numbers in column B were changed 
accordingly.  Then, my friend wanted only the first cell with a 
number to have a dollar sign and the numbers below it to NOT have a 
dollar sign.  So, I selected cells B3..B5 and used the 
Format/Cells function to change the format.  When the Format 
Cells window appeared, the Currency number format was selected, 
as expected.  I went to the Format code box and simply removed the 
$$ references, leaving the rest of the format code intact.  The 
Category immediately changed to User Defined, which is fine.


Here's the problem:  after the category changes to User Defined, 
the modified format code, which is still displayed, doesn't apply to 
the selected cells ...


Nothing happens until you confirm by clicking OK, of course.  But if 
you mean that the format didn't change even after you clicked OK, 
then the obvious first possibility is that you had made an error in 
modifying the string in the Format code box and had created 
something that was not a valid format code.  In this case, the format 
of the selected cells would not change and no new format example 
would be created in the User-defined category.  (You can test this by 
experiment.)


... and I can't find any way to save the modified currency format as 
a user defined format I can reuse.


If the new format had been applied but for some reason not been saved 
in the Format Cells dialogue, then the Format Paintbrush might be a 
workaround.  But if the format has not been applied to your original 
selection, then the problem is earlier and this is irrelevant.


I trust this helps.

Brian Barker


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Re: [libreoffice-users] Question about Calc and user-defined number formats

2014-02-16 Thread Tom Williams
On 02/16/2014 02:36 PM, Brian Barker wrote:
 At 11:27 16/02/2014 -0800, Tom Williams wrote:
 I selected cells B2..B5 and used the Format/Cells function to
 change the format to a currency format.  I chose the -$1,234.00 in
 red format.  The numbers in column B were changed accordingly.  Then,
 my friend wanted only the first cell with a number to have a dollar
 sign and the numbers below it to NOT have a dollar sign.  So, I
 selected cells B3..B5 and used the Format/Cells function to
 change the format.  When the Format Cells window appeared, the
 Currency number format was selected, as expected.  I went to the
 Format code box and simply removed the $$ references, leaving the
 rest of the format code intact.  The Category immediately changed to
 User Defined, which is fine.

 Here's the problem:  after the category changes to User Defined,
 the modified format code, which is still displayed, doesn't apply to
 the selected cells ...

 Nothing happens until you confirm by clicking OK, of course.  But if
 you mean that the format didn't change even after you clicked OK, then
 the obvious first possibility is that you had made an error in
 modifying the string in the Format code box and had created
 something that was not a valid format code.  In this case, the format
 of the selected cells would not change and no new format example would
 be created in the User-defined category.  (You can test this by
 experiment.)

Thanks for posting this.  Duh  :)   Since no message of any kind was
issued telling me the modified format might be invalid, it didn't occur
to me that I was breaking the format code.  I'll experiment with this.

Thanks!

Peace...

Tom


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/When we dance, you have a way with me,
Stay with me... Sway with me.../

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