calc: method to subdivide individual cells

users
#1

Hi all,

Does calc have some kind of method to subdivide individual cells?

thanks,
pete.

#2

For a cell or cells containing text it/they can be subdivided using the
"Data / Text to Columns..." menu choice.

#3

Just curious, what are trying to do? There may be another way to solve your problem.

#4

Yes - but you have to think of the problem the other way about.

You can select a number of cells and then *merge* them, either by going to Format | Merge Cells or using the Merge Cells button in the Formatting toolbar. By starting with multiple rows or multiple columns (or both?) and merging some of the cells you can achieve the same effect as you would by subdividing cells. If you have an existing spreadsheet, you will want to insert additional rows or columns adjacent to your problem ones in order to start this process.

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker

#5

This will 'work', but it is much more complicated than if there was the possibility to just subdivide a single cell into multiples...

#6

Does Calc have some kind of method to subdivide individual cells?

[...] By starting with multiple rows or multiple columns (or both?) and merging some of the cells you can achieve the same effect as you would by subdividing cells.

This will 'work', ...

I'm not sure why your inverted commas are there: this will actually work, I think, plain and simple.

... but it is much more complicated than if there was the possibility to just subdivide a single cell into multiples...

OK: suppose you divide cell Xn into four cells- two vertically and two horizontally. How do you now refer to the four new cells in formulae? And which of the now four separate values gets used if you refer to plain cell Xn in a formula?

Brian Barker

#7

... but it is much more complicated than if there was the possibility
to just subdivide a single cell into multiples...

OK: suppose you divide cell Xn into four cells- two vertically and two
horizontally. How do you now refer to the four new cells in formulae?

Initially, until some method was developed that made sense, it could just be a limitation of split cells that you can't use them in formulas.

And maybe it would have to stay that way. None of the times I wanted to be able to do this was it critical that I me able to use them in formulas.

And which of the now four separate values gets used if you refer to
plain cell Xn in a formula?

Pick one (upper left, lower right, etc). Could even be a pref. Or, as above, make it unsupported, unless/until a method is developed for supporting it that makes sense.

#8

I've been following this thread and wondering what a use case would be for
subdividing cells.

#9

I own a breeding kennel. I created a table to keep track of medication administration
col A: date
col B: dog 1 name, col title being the medication
but when I got to col C I needed to put in 3 dog names, with the col title being the medication
I also use a winding for a checkbox.

It sure would have been nice to be able to subdivide col C horizontally. The only way I could do it was to put in the first box and the first dog's name and then space until it forced a wrap and put in the second and again for the third. Of course it all falls apart if I change the col width.

#10

Hi :slight_smile:
Ahh, there was something about
Ctrl Enter
inside a cell makes an extra newline inside the cell itself.  It doesn't sub-divide the cell but does just give you a newline in there. 
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#11

Hi :slight_smile:
Ahh, there was something about
Ctrl Enter
inside a cell makes an extra newline inside the cell itself. It doesn't sub-divide the cell but does just give you a newline in there.
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

CTRL + Enter inserts a new line within the cell

#12

It sounds like a relational database is what you need to use instead of the spreadsheet. Then you would not have to split cells. In fact, you would not be limited in how many dogs you place in this column.

--Dan

#13

Jomali,
I once used it to correct a goof on a cell merge operation when it was impractical to use undo. I was only creating a form, so I was not referencing any of these cells. The problem was that the subdivide required a lot of cleanup to get the cell boundaries aligned again. Messy, but better than starting over or using undo.
Girvin Herr

jomali wrote:

#14

That is terrific - thanks

#15

Hi :slight_smile:
Oh no!  Was that what you were looking for from the start?  I thought you were looking for soemthing a lot more complicated so it didn't occur to me.  I only learned of it recently and haven't used it myself yet.

Sorry chap!
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile: