Links! Not Working as EZ as Excel

[archlab]

Help, I have several older .XLS spreadshts that have many links between these files. The links are only between other spreadshts, no Word nor PwrPoint, nor Graphics, etc.
ANyway, the links don't seem to work when they are opened via OpenOffice Calc. When I try to re-do my links by 'Cut -n- Paste', I get a real confusing occurance - the following happens:
1) To Cut, then Paste: I get a dialogue box that says: "Text Import" which asks for "Character Set', 'Language', etc - not really applicable to what I'm trying to do

2) To Cut, then Paste Special: I get this dialogue box message- "Unknown Source", "unformatted text"...not useful at all.


My questions:
1) Is there a 'Paste' option that is like MS-Excel's which is simply (& REAL Easy to use) -> 'Past Link'?
2) If not, Is there another way to insert a link that doesn't require a wild goose chase to access?

Sorry to be critical, but OO Calc should be as easy to use (if not better) than MS-Excel. Help show me that I'm wrong abt OO Calc.
Thanks.

[Villeroy]

Simply use URLs. file:///path/document.ods
Or use DDE("soffice";C":\Path\Document.ods";"Sheet1.A1:X99")

Better use Excel for this kind of stuff.

[archlab]

"Better use Excel for this kind of stuff."

Hey! That's really helpful.....

But, thanks for the DDE way (kinda more cumbersome than it should be doncha think?)

[Villeroy]

The cumbersome part of the problem is that Excel can not handle regular file-URLs.

[MrProgrammer]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

Is there a 'Paste' option that is like MS-Excel's which is simply (& REAL Easy to use) -> 'Past Link'?

Select the cell in the first spreadsheet, Edit > Copy.
Select the cell in the second spreadsheet, Edit > Paste Special > Link.
Is that simple enough for you? I tested it and it worked for me.

Better use Excel for this kind of stuff.

Keep in mind that this is Calc, not Excel, and if you want to use Calc it will be better to save your spreadsheets in ODS format instead of XLS format. If you must use XLS format, Excel may be a better tool for you to use.

Sorry to be critical, but OO Calc should be as easy to use (if not better) than MS-Excel.

The goal for Calc is to provide a high quality spreadsheet as an open source program. The goal is not to be a clone of Excel. If you want a clone of Excel, purchase and use Excel. You run Windows so Microsnot would be delighted to take more of your money. Calc does some things better than Excel. Excel does some things better than Calc. They are different products with different structures, though they share many of the same features. Until you learn to accept that, you will never be satisfied with Calc.

If this answered your question please go to your first post use the Edit button and add [Solved] to the start of the title. You can select the green checkmark icon at the same time.

[Villeroy]

Another reason why I recommend Excel for this task is that interlinked spreadsheet files are very likely to give wrong results in either application. It's better he fails with Excel. Nobody will ever blame Microsoft when things go wrong. When linked Calc sheets fail it is always the fault of this ratty underdog software.

[archlab]

Hi Again,
RE: "Select the cell in the first spreadsheet, Edit > Copy.
Select the cell in the second spreadsheet, Edit > Paste Special > Link."
That's exactly what I've been doing, but I only get the dialogue boxes as attached to my original Post. What I really need is the correct dialogue box to pop up - that one would have options such as 'Formula', 'Format', 'Text', etc. Instaed, I only get the Bxes that give options of 'unicode', 'delimiters', or 'unformatted text'. Apparently, there's some proprietary quirk happening, which the user shouldn't hacve to deal with. This operation should just plain work, but instead, it's become a pain.

BTW, I do appreciate the fact that OO is free, that's why I'm ovr here axx-ing questions abt OO & not messin' w/ Excel. Since there is a forum dedicated to solving OO problems, I'm also appreciative of that as well...so someone, please HELP. This is driving me Bonkers.

[Hagar Delest]

Works fine for me with the paste special DDE Link option.

If MS Excel is easier to use for you, then just go for it. We advise users to use MS products when they are more suited, especially if they have to work in the .xls or .xlsx formats.

[archlab]

So...the solution is to just go buy MS-Excel? I'm getting less enthused abt OO...

[kingfisher]

OpenOffice and MSFT Office use different document formats. OO is designed primarily to work with its own formats. Try editing an OO document in MSFT Office and see how far you get.

I came across a suite which professes to edit MSFT documents but I have forgotten its name. There is a wikipedia page comparing various suites.

[Villeroy]

So...the solution is to just go buy MS-Excel? I'm getting less enthused abt OO...

This office suite is not a social project. It is not designed to give you a free clone of MS Office.
Just compare the installation size with the size of the respective MSOffice components. It can not be the same set of software tools, nevertheless it does a lot of things better than MS Office.

[fst]

Hi,

you told us you're using 'older' XLS files.
How old? I mean which file format version of XLS?
It maybe that links to files older then Excel 97 show such behavior. This is because the file format wasn't available and developing the filters took years to get them into the state we have now. So the filters for older files are not that accurate and will not be improved, I'm sure.

Frank

[Villeroy]

Screenshots are useless for technical support. We never get any file format info nor formula nor data nor connection parameters. So there can not be any answer other than "Use whatever does the right thing to your data!"
The text import dialog in one of the screen shota indicates that there may be some connection or link to a plain text file, but who knows? Millions of plain text files have the .xls name suffix and MS believers trust that they have anything to do with Excel since the icon shows a blue X. I'm really fed up with these totally unspecific requests.

[archlab]

Screenshots are useless for technical support. We never get any file format info nor formula nor data nor connection parameters. So there can not be any answer other than "Use whatever does the right thing to your data!"
The text import dialog in one of the screen shota indicates that there may be some connection or link to a plain text file, but who knows? Millions of plain text files have the .xls name suffix and MS believers trust that they have anything to do with Excel since the icon shows a blue X. I'm really fed up with these totally unspecific requests.

So I ask a question & get a fair degree of flippant remarks. Those diminish the actual helpful replies that many have posted - to them I say thank you for delving into it.
Nonetheless, the best guess that anyone has provided is that there is a difference in Excel formats vs. OO's. Again, I appreciate the fact that OO is free, but if it's out there....

[Villeroy]

No, you did not ask any answerable question at all. From screenshots and complaints we know nothing about your technical problem.
There are 5 different methods how one can link tabular data from other spreadsheets, from databases, from web-sites, text tables. This forum has a huge tutorial on this matter.

[archlab]

FWIW, I got a great answer to my problem on a MS Office tech forum for MS Excel. If anyone else using Open Office has this same problem, the issue is with (get this!) Skype, of all things. I had Skype's 'Click to call' set up on my browser & when I disabled it...all my links work!
ANyway, here's the hyperlnk for this really, really strange problem:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/offi ... 92d34d16c6

BTW, Villeroy, I hope you're not in any form of tech support or customer service - U is one angry lil' boy. Otherwise, thanks to the other helpful people on this site.

[Villeroy]

You are not even able to post a working hyperlink to the MS site which might be the major cause of your spreadsheet problem too. Not being able to post a simple URL is the reason why nobody can answer your question.
Forget about the internet. Stay on your desktop.

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/offi ... 92d34d16c6

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[archlab]

Let's see if this works
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/offi ... 2d34d16c61