https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=172799
--- Comment #15 from Eyal Rozenberg <[email protected]> --- +1 obviously. I can't believe this hasn't been filed already... surely there's some dupe somewhere.Of course this needs to be fixed. The opaque numeric error code is a UX atrocity. The different possibilities as I see them (before looking at what Excel does): * Clickable area for expanding the error message, like we see when there's comment on the cell (perhaps in an unused corner)? * Tooltip on hover over the cell with the error * The status bar, partially. Yes, space there is not infinite. Well, we could: * temporarily cannibalize more of the status bar for the error * Introduce a temporary control to scroll or expand the message on the status bar * Try to be concise with the error. * have an expansion tooltip on hover like BogdanB suggested some combination of the above could definitely be adopted. (In reply to ady from comment #1) > Calc already has better hints about where or what the problem could > be than other spreadsheet tools, which offer more generic error codes No, Calc doesn't; and you linked to a wiki page. (In reply to Heiko Tietze from comment #10) > (Excel does via floating collapsed context menu) Can someone attach a screenshot of that? > I agree that whatever we do, it's not the magic wand that substitutes reading > the manual. Disagree. For many, if many formula errors, we can absolutely offer a magic wand that substitutes looking something up in the manual. (In reply to ady from comment #4) > If there is no "time" to use adequate error codes, there is less time / > patience / resources to be more accurate in additional explanations You're arguing that because of some bug(s) with error code assignment, users should not be told what error they triggered? Weird. > Moreover, the error code is just one (initial) possibility; it does not mean > that the actual error is exactly that one. I don't believe that's true; and when this is true, it a bug. Plus if it were "just one initial possibility" - why are we showing it in the first place? But actually, if this is the case - all the more reason to report error with more text, because in that case we can say more about where the error occurred and perhaps even list more than one error. > It would be a waste of time and resources trying to read users' minds Nobody suggested that. > It would be a waste of time and resources to > provide additional details om screen when there is no real way to actually > solve the problem. 1. You don't know whether or not there's a "real way to solve the problem". 2. It is not a waste of time to let the user understand what error was found with their formula. > The error code and its message (on the status bar) are > just generic initial hints, that may or may not be accurate. If we show them as numbers, we can and should show them as readable text. > It is up to the user to investigate, inform himself What, am I in "Calc formula boot camp" now? It is not up to the user to lookup "error #507", that's just ridiculous. > Claiming that Calc can give better and more accurate solutions The ask in this bug is not for Calc to offer solution but to say what the error was (and possibly where it occured). > for this will only cause > users to complain about inaccurate or inadequate information given by Calc. If saying what the error code means motivates users to report bugs in formula parsing, where the error code is incorrect - that would be great. > appearance of the tool tip. If that's it, I would not recommend changing it; > the only consequence would be to add load to translators with no meaningful > outcome. Now here is an actual relevant point. Yes, translating multiple error messages does add work for the translators, and that is somewhat of a consideration. However, given that there is fallback to English - it's an improvement already, before the translators have gone to the trouble, since a big enough fraction of users read at least some English, and they can even machine-translated if push comes to shove. > I consider this a waste of time. It will not solve any actual problem. It will solve the problem of the user not being told what error Calc found with their formula. > If > the user cannot solve the problem with the current info, he will need to get > help elsewhere anyway, whether it is reading something or seeking help from > others. And that's the problem. > If > the user cannot solve the problem with the current info, he will need to get > help elsewhere anyway, whether it is reading something or seeking help from > others. And when we spell out what problem the formula had, the user may well be able to avoid seeking help elsewhere. And I don't want to have memory a bunch of arbitrary numbers. -- You are receiving this mail because: You are the assignee for the bug.
