Re: Spreadsheet for GS

[dempson@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <3ok17d$aiu@nuscc.nus.sg>,
Lim Thye Chean <ltchean@iss.nus.sg> wrote:
> Although I am not new to GS world, I am very new to using spreadsheet. I am
> now running AppleWorks GS spreadsheet module.
> 
> What is the advantage of Quick Click Calc over AWGS spreadsheet module? Is
> it worth the upgrade?

It isn't an "upgrade" - Quick Click Calc cannot import AWGS
spreadsheets (nothing can).  You can export the values only from AWGS
and import the resulting file into QCC.

QCC's main advantage over AWGS SS is probably its publish/subscribe
facility, which allows selected values to be exported from a
spreadsheet and imported into other ones.

> What are the known problems of AWGS spreadsheet module? 

The most serious problem: it is a dead end.  If you have an important
spreadsheet in AppleWorks GS, there is no way at all to get it out,
with all formulas intact, to another spreadsheet.  (You can get values
only, but this can be a major pain for a complicated spreadsheet.)

This is also true for Quick Click Calc at present, but I would hope
that if ByteWorks does further updates, they would add support for
exporting with formulas retained (e.g. exporting in SYLK format).  At
the very least, they could document the QCC file format so that other
people could write conversion/import utilities for QCC spreadsheets.

> Why the "=Today" never seems to update automatically when I open the
> worksheet?  I have to manually edit the cell and force it to update.
> Any suggestions? 

Sorry, I've never used that function in AWGS.
-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand