Calc - Would like to see "Insert Cut Cells" & "Insert Copied Cells" Added to Right-Click Menus

users
#1

It is not clear to me why "Insert Cut Cells" following a previous Cut and
"Insert Copied Cells" following a previous Copy are not available in the
right-click menu in LibreOffice Calc as they are in Microsoft Excel. I use
them very frequently to re-order a set range of rows where sort is not
appropriate. Is this the right forum for posting requests for features?

#2

I don't know what these Excel functions do (can you give us a quick
explanation?).

If they're about not overwriting existing shells and /shift/ them
instead, that feature exists, just pick "Paste Special..." and you can
select "Down" or "Right" in "Shift cells".

Now I guess the issue is that this isn't as efficient as just hitting a
couple keys or picking one item in the context menu, and that is a
problem if you use this frequently.

#3

It is not clear to me why "Insert Cut Cells" following a previous Cut and
"Insert Copied Cells" following a previous Copy are  not available in the
right-click menu in LibreOffice Calc as they are in Microsoft Excel. I use
them very frequently to re-order a set range of rows where sort is not
appropriate.

Is it clear to you that LibreOffice Calc is not Microsoft Excel and
therefore it doesn't work in the exact same way? If you can't live
without Microsoft Excel, then you should probably use Microsoft Excel,
not LibreOffice Calc.
So what does this ”Insert Copied Cells” actually do?

Is this the right forum for posting requests for features?

Not really. There is a place for reporting bugs and asking for
enhancements, read more here:
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/BugReport

Kind regards

Johnny Rosenberg
ジョニー・ローゼンバーグ

#4

It is not clear to me why "Insert Cut Cells" following a previous Cut and
"Insert Copied Cells" following a previous Copy are  not available in the
right-click menu in LibreOffice Calc as they are in Microsoft Excel. I use
them very frequently to re-order a set range of rows where sort is not
appropriate. Is this the right forum for posting requests for
features?

I don't know what these Excel functions do (can you give us a quick
explanation?).

If they're about not overwriting existing shells and /shift/ them
instead, that feature exists, just pick "Paste Special..."  and you can
select "Down" or "Right" in "Shift cells".

Now I guess the issue is that this isn't as efficient as just hitting a
couple keys or picking one item in the context menu, and that is a
problem if you use this frequently.

Probably not a big problem. If you selected ”Down” or ”Right” once, it
will be selected next time you use it, so it only means one extra
click more than Excel except for the first time and when you want to
change from ”Down” to ”Right” and vice versa.

Kind regards

Johnny Rosenberg
ジョニー・ローゼンバーグ

#5

Technically, this is not a forum, but a mailing list. But I see you're
posting through a webforum-like interface.

Although this is a good place to discuss features, feature requests
should be added to the bug tracking system.

These are instructions to fill a bug report (for a bug, I wonder if a
similar page exists for Requests For Enhancement):
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/BugReport

#6

Here is the explanation for "insert cut cells" and "insert copied cells" as you requested.

If I cut a range of cells (usually one or more rows or columns), select a similarly shaped range of cells (again usually one or more row or columns), the cut cells are inserted at the selection and the cut region is deleted. So if I select row 10, right-click on it, then select row 20, right-click and select "Insert Cut cells", row 10 is deleted, rows 11 through 19 are shifted up one row, and the deleted row is inserted in front of row 20. "Insert Copied Cells" works similarly, except the original row is not deleted and rows 11 through 19 are not moved up to fill the gap. Instead a new row is insert in front of row 20 and the copied row pasted into row 20.

I have assumed that both OpenOffice and LibreOffice intened to do more than just be a data file compatible mimic of Microsoft Office 2003. There should be more to LibreOffice than just partial mimicry. If features like I have just described are not in LibreOffice Calc and also not in its macro capability then MS Excel files won't be read and executed properly in Calc. That would be a shame. I believe that the future of LibreOffice is in freezing the constant changing, but not improving, behavior of Microsoft so that a product such as Calc can be stable and compatible over a period of decades or forever.

---- "Nuno J. Silva [via Document Foundation Mail Archive]" <ml-node+3233146-751127155-420255@n3.nabble.com> wrote:

#7

Here is the explanation for "insert cut cells" and "insert copied cells" as you requested.

If I cut a range of cells (usually one or more rows or columns), select a similarly shaped range of cells (again usually one or more row or columns), the cut cells are inserted at the selection and the cut region is deleted. So if I select row 10, right-click on it, then select row 20, right-click and select "Insert Cut cells", row 10 is deleted, rows 11 through 19 are shifted up one row, and the deleted row is inserted in front of row 20. "Insert Copied Cells" works similarly, except the original row is not deleted and rows 11 through 19 are not moved up to fill the gap. Instead a new row is insert in front of row 20 and the copied row pasted into row 20.

Then you can do it with LibreOffice and OpenOffice.org, but you need
to learn a new method for doing it. If not, you have three options (at
least) that I can think of:
1. Stick with Excel.
2. File a bug report (or rather a feature request).
3. Join the developer team and write a patch.

What you are asking for seems to be doable with Paste Special in
OpenOffice.org/LibreOffice, it just requires an extra mouse click (two
extra clicks the first time).

I have assumed that both OpenOffice and LibreOffice intened to do more than just be a data file compatible mimic of Microsoft Office 2003.

Either you or me totally missed the point there, I think. The file
compatibility (which is not complete and can never be) is, as I see
it, just a bonus, not the main feature of the whole project. If you
work with OpenOffice.org or LibreOffice, you are supposed to use the
Open Document Format and neither OpenOffice.org nor LibreOffice
intends to be a free version of MS Office.

There should be more to LibreOffice than just partial mimicry. If features like I have just described are not in LibreOffice Calc and also not in its macro capability then MS Excel files won't be read and executed properly in Calc. That would be a shame. I believe that the future of LibreOffice is in freezing the constant changing, but not improving, behavior of Microsoft so that a product such as Calc can be stable and compatible over a period of decades or forever.

I don't think there is anything you can’t do with a macro, at least
simple tasks as the one this thread seems to be about, so if you think
the Paste Special method is too complicated you can always write a
macro for it or let someone else write one for you if you are lucky.

Fortunately LibreOffice did not copy MS Office’s behaviour in every
aspect. That's why there, for example, is no MS Excel leap-year bug in
LibreOffice, nor in OpenOffice.org (1900-02-29 doesn't exist in the
real world, in LibreOffice or in OpenOffice.org, but it does in MS
Excel, as far as I have heard).

Regards

Johnny Rosenberg
ジョニー・ローゼンバーグ

#8

This is why I read the lists. I learned something today.

In Excel, I use "Insert Cut Cells" and "Insert Copied Cells" all the time, and that has been one big reason why I don't use OOo exclusively. (I'm on OOo v3.3.0 on WinXP, and haven't felt comfortable about moving to LO yet.)

As Nuno surmised, the OOo/LO equivalent is:
select the new location and then | Edit | Paste Special | Shift Cells Down |
which I did NOT know before reading this exchange.

Excel's process is that after you select the cells or row to be moved, you:
right-click on the target cell or row, then click "Insert cut cells"
which replaces the normal "paste" entry in the context menu. ("Insert Copied Cells" works the same way.)

So it's 2 steps in MS vs 4 in OOo. But it's VERY nice to know that OOo/LO can do this at all.

However, grfried has another point. If you want to take market-share from MS, you've got to do things like this at least conveniently as MS, if not more so. Otherwise your only market is those who can't get MS and those (like me) who are at least semi-technical and want an alternative to MS. Personally, I think that OOo/LO ought to be able to do everything that MSOffice 97 (14 years old now) could do, including convenience features. If it could, it would take a HUGE share of the market.

(I have now added the suggestion to the bugzilla list at

http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/BugReport
per Nuno's suggestion.)

Thanks,
-- Tim Deaton

#9

Hi,

grfried schrieb:

It is not clear to me why "Insert Cut Cells" following a previous Cut and
"Insert Copied Cells" following a previous Copy are not available in the
right-click menu in LibreOffice Calc as they are in Microsoft Excel. I use
them very frequently to re-order a set range of rows where sort is not
appropriate.

You do it different in LibO:
For cut&paste:
(1) Mark the row or column to move.
(2) Hold down the Alt-key and drag. You will notice a bold horizontal line. If you have marked a whole row or column, do not try to use the header, but use a cell.
(3) Drop when the line is there, where you want to insert the row or column.

For copy&paste hold down Alt-Key and Ctrl-Key.

Kind regards
Regina

#10

Am 07.08.2011 16:13, Johnny Rosenberg wrote:

So what does this ”Insert Copied Cells” actually do?

The same as Drag&Alt+Drop

#11

Regina Henschel писал 2011-08-08 21:39:

Hi,

grfried schrieb:

It is not clear to me why "Insert Cut Cells" following a previous Cut and
"Insert Copied Cells" following a previous Copy are not available in the
right-click menu in LibreOffice Calc as they are in Microsoft Excel. I use
them very frequently to re-order a set range of rows where sort is not
appropriate.

You do it different in LibO:
For cut&paste:
(1) Mark the row or column to move.
(2) Hold down the Alt-key and drag. You will notice a bold horizontal
line. If you have marked a whole row or column, do not try to use the
header, but use a cell.
(3) Drop when the line is there, where you want to insert the row or column.

For copy&paste hold down Alt-Key and Ctrl-Key.

Thank you very much for this method.
It allows to overcome missing "insert cut cell feature" ("paste special" do not replace it as it leaves unneeded empty cells).
But is was hard to understand - when dragging multiple lines insert position depends on which line was "dragged" - if I drag first line everything OK but if I drag second line, block inserts above line that is above cursor itself - and it looks odd.

Cut behavior of LO itsef is semi-microsoft, semi-classic - data is gone to clipboard disappearing from sheet, but flowing rectangle around empty cells remains on screen for unclear purpose (in MS Office it means that data is cut, what it means in LO I cannot guess).