cannot save an .html type document, opened in calc as .ods file (libreoffice 3.5.3)

users
#1

This was possible in 3.4 and previous versions.
I have used it for years - receiving a very large .xls file from the bank,
containing all bank activity -> then I rename it to .html and open it with
calc, then save it as .ods and then tweak it in every imaginable way possible
(sorting,grouping,subtotals).

With libreoffice calc 3.5.3 I can only save it as pdf,html,txt but not as
.ods file. The ods option has been removed from the save as menu. I know that
calc was able of doing this - so why is this change?

I know that I can copy and paste the table from a browser to calc - but this is
an extremely clumsy way of doing things. Why remove something that was working
like a charm?

Toodr

#2

First of all, it would be interesting to know the actual content of the file.
Calc can not open html directly but there are all kinds of files out there
which share the .xls suffix in order to trigger the Excel application. Calc
does not care about the file name suffix. If the file has a well known
"taste" it will be opened regardless of the name suffix.
Just open your file in a text editor (notepad). Or open it in a browser and
view the source code. Most likely it is a plain text file.

#3

OK, I've got to correct myself. Calc can load html directly and I can load
html with some tabular content with LibreOffice 3.3 as well as with 3.5.
Anyway, if the name ends with .xls it is never clear what the true content
is until you load it into a hex editor or until you get some human readable
content in a text editor.

#4

Todor,

This was possible in 3.4 and previous versions.
I have used it for years - receiving a very large .xls file from the bank,
containing all bank activity -> then I rename it to .html and open it with
calc, then save it as .ods and then tweak it in every imaginable way possible
(sorting,grouping,subtotals).

You can open the xls file format with Calc and then save as ods.

Calc normally opens xls files without any problems. Occasionally users
have reported problems with the newer xlsx format, personally I have not
had any problems opening either format in Calc since 3.4.0

With libreoffice calc 3.5.3 I can only save it as pdf,html,txt but not as
.ods file. The ods option has been removed from the save as menu. I know that
calc was able of doing this - so why is this change?

I do not know way the change unless someone thought using HTML as
intermediate between xls to ods was an unnecessary step.

I know that I can copy and paste the table from a browser to calc - but this is
an extremely clumsy way of doing things. Why remove something that was working
like a charm?

Toodr

I am currently using Ubuntu 12.04 and LO 3.5.4.2

#5

Am 08.06.2012 21:48, Andreas Säger wrote:

OK, I've got to correct myself. Calc can load html directly and I can load
html with some tabular content with LibreOffice 3.3 as well as with 3.5.
Anyway, if the name ends with .xls it is never clear what the true content
is until you load it into a hex editor or until you get some human readable
content in a text editor.

And I've forgot to mention that it is always possible to store anything loaded into Calc as an ODF spreadsheet. It is the topmost file type in the save-as dialog.

#6

Some clarification on the matter.
The file in question has xml content, tags and all.
It used to be imported into a calc sheet if one opens it as a html calc
document.
The calc sheet looked like a normal sheet in an .ods file.
Now it opens in something remotely resembling a text table in writer
although in the document window it says libreoffice.calc .
And acordingly when you try to save it as something else , the save as
dialogue doesn't have an option for .ods format.

I suppose I should say it opens in calc but doesn't get imported into a
spreadsheet format but rather it opens as a xml text table, which is
unusable to the purpose of manipulating the data.
And besides cannot be saved as a spreadsheet.

I would expect if I attempt to open an .html table in calc - the table to
get imported into a spreadsheet,
and if I attempt to open an .html table in writer - the table to be opened
as a text table (document),
which is not the case anymore as far as calc is concerned.

Apologies for not been clear in the fist place.

Tooodr.

#7

[SOLVED] All of a sudden I found a way to import the xml(html actually) file
into calc.
Right click on the file and choose open with libreoffice calc - then it
magically imports the data into a calc sheet and creates three named ranges
(HTML_1, HTML_all, HTML_table), which can be deleted
from insert->names->manage menu.
What baffles me though is that on right click open - we get the file
imported OK,
but if we are inside calc and we try to open the same file from within the
calc program - the same file gets opened into a writer/web program.
Why is this inconsistency ?

Best regards,
Toodr

#8

Am 12.06.2012 19:12, toodr wrote:

but if we are inside calc and we try to open the same file from within the
calc program - the same file gets opened into a writer/web program.
Why is this inconsistency ?

There is no Calc nor Writer program. This is one program to open all types of files. When you did not specify any file type, the program chooses the propably most adequate component.
When you specify file type "HTML Document (OpenOffice.org Calc) *.html)" the Calc component will be used.

#9

This was possible in 3.4 and previous versions.

Was not able to save as ods in LO334.

I have used it for years - receiving a very large .xls file from the bank,
containing all bank activity -> then I rename it to .html and open it with
calc, then save it as .ods and then tweak it in every imaginable way
possible
(sorting,grouping,subtotals).

Why change from xls to html to ods?

You should be able to change directly from xls to ods, or via csv?

#10

Some clarification on the matter.
The file in question has xml content, tags and all.

The behaviour described previously also occurs with html. The
following code was used:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>
<table>
<tr>
  <td>100</td>
  <td>200</td>
  <td>300</td>
</tr>
<tr>
  <td>400</td>
  <td>500</td>
  <td>600</td>
</tr>
</table>

</body>
</html>

It used to be imported into a calc sheet if one opens it as a html calc
document.

Was this import directly from the bank server?

Or was the bank data copied from the web browser into calc?

If the html file above is copied from the web browser (opera) into
calc, the dialogue window 'text import' appears.

The calc sheet looked like a normal sheet in an .ods file.
Now it opens in something remotely resembling a text table in writer
although in the document window it says libreoffice.calc .
And acordingly when you try to save it as something else , the save as
dialogue doesn't have an option for .ods format.

Seems logical behaviour. Html is an authoring language, so writer is
the appropriate module for such code.

I would expect if I attempt to open an .html table in calc - the table to
get imported into a spreadsheet,
and if I attempt to open an .html table in writer - the table to be opened
as a text table (document),
which is not the case anymore as far as calc is concerned.

Personally, disagree. Html code should open in writer. Where html
contains tabular data, why should calc be expected to interpret and
convert non-numeric attributes such as spacing, width, etc.?

In writer, you should be able to select the table (e.g. using the
'navigator' dialogue window), then select the tabular data, then copy
to calc?