OOo Off the Wall: Tabling the Notion, Part 2 (Linux Journal) [LWN.net]

Linux Journal presents part two of an article on OOo Writer table formulas by Bruce Byfield. "Table formulas--or should I say formulae?--are one of OpenOffice.org Writer's unique features. Writer uses a formula bar similar to the one in OpenOffice.org Calc, but with a more limited set of options. The syntax for table formulas is similar to spreadsheet formulas, with just enough differences to be frustrating to a spreadsheet expert. Yet, despite these apparent shortcomings, table formulas are a welcome addition to the Writer toolbox. As a practical example can show, with a little planning, you can use Writer's table formulas to build surprisingly complex documents and, more importantly, to reduce the boredom of routine tasks. By Bruce Byfield on Wed, 2005-06-01 23:00."

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Unique featue?

Posted Jun 3, 2005 7:31 UTC (Fri) by Wol (guest, #4433) [Link]

I haven't read the article yet, but if the author means what I think he means, isn't he just talking about the same feature that was in WordPerfect for DOS, circa 1989 or earlier?

Cheers,
Wol

Unique featue?

Posted Jun 3, 2005 13:46 UTC (Fri) by zakaelri (guest, #17928) [Link]

I'm not sure what that feature was, but the one in the article is... not that interesting. Basically, the article goes something like this:

1) Writer has a formula bar for tables.
2) The formula bar is gimped. We don't know why.
3) Let's see how to use it by creating an invoice
... series of steps to create table. (with alternate directions between OO.o 1.x & 2.0)
n) if you need somthing this bar doesn't do, you should instead insert an OLE Table from Calc. You'll need to format it, though.

Personally, while I see it being a useful feature, I would have implemented it in a completely different way--I'd have inserted a calc table from the start. It could increase the bloat of the app, but it would increase the consistency between the apps. (Plus, no double-implements).

My two cents.