https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=173756
Bug ID: 173756
Summary: Help page "Detailed Calculation Settings" is
misleading and does not accurately describe the scope
of the available options
Product: LibreOffice
Version: 6.0.0.3 release
Hardware: All
OS: All
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: normal
Priority: medium
Component: Documentation
Assignee: [email protected]
Reporter: [email protected]
CC: [email protected]
Version: Affects current help page for "Detailed Calculation Settings"
URL:
https://help.libreoffice.org/26.8/en-US/text/shared/optionen/detailedcalculation.html
Description
The introductory text of the help page is misleading and does not accurately
reflect the settings available in the dialog.
Current text:
Sets the rules for conversion from strings values to numeric values, string
values to cell references, and strings values to date and time values.
This affects built-in functions such as INDIRECT that takes a reference as a
string value or date and time functions that takes arguments as string values
in local or ISO 8601 formats.
There are several issues:
1. Date and time conversion is presented as a separate category although no
corresponding option exists
The dialog contains only the following settings:
- Conversion from text to number
- Treat empty string as zero
- Reference syntax for string references
- Apply those settings to current document only
There is no dedicated option for "string to date" or "string to time"
conversion.
In Calc, dates and times are internally stored as numeric values. Therefore,
date/time interpretation is not represented by a separate setting in this
dialog.
The current introduction suggests three independent conversion categories:
text → number
text → reference
text → date/time
while only two configurable categories actually exist:
text/empty string → numeric value
text → reference
2. The reference to INDIRECT() is too broad
The help page states that these settings affect functions such as INDIRECT().
However, only the setting
- Reference syntax for string references
has a direct and obvious relation to INDIRECT().
The settings
Conversion from text to number
Treat empty string as zero
do not affect the interpretation of reference strings used by INDIRECT().
The current wording may lead users to believe that all settings on the page are
relevant to INDIRECT().
3. Missing explanation of INDIRECT() second parameter
The help page discusses reference syntax but does not mention that INDIRECT()
already provides an explicit mechanism for selecting A1 or R1C1 notation.
Examples:
=INDIRECT("A1";1)
A1 notation
=INDIRECT("R1C1";0)
R1C1 notation
The documentation should explain that the second argument of INDIRECT() can
explicitly determine the notation used by the function.
4. Missing clarification regarding numeric conversion settings
The description of the numeric conversion settings could be interpreted as
applying to all functions handling text values.
In practice these settings only apply when Calc converts text into a numeric
operand.
Examples affected:
="123"+1
=ABS("123")
Examples generally not affected:
=XMATCH("123";A1:A10)
=MATCH("123";A1:A10;0)
=INDIRECT("A1")
="">0
The help page should clearly distinguish between:
text-to-number conversion
text-to-reference conversion
Suggested replacement text for the introduction:
Specifies how Calc interprets text strings and empty strings when they are
converted to numeric values or cell references.
These settings affect formulas and functions that require conversion of text
values to another data type. Numeric conversion settings apply when text is
interpreted as a numeric operand. Reference syntax settings apply when text is
interpreted as a cell or range reference, for example by the INDIRECT()
function.
Not all settings apply to all functions.
Suggested addition under "Reference syntax for string references":
This option determines how text strings are interpreted when converted to cell
references, for example by the INDIRECT() function.
Note: INDIRECT() provides its own mechanism for selecting A1 or R1C1 notation
through its second argument. When this argument is specified, the function
explicitly determines the notation used for that formula.
Expected result
The help page should clearly separate:
Text/empty string → numeric value conversion.
Text → reference conversion.
The role of INDIRECT() and its second parameter.
This would make the page much less confusing for users trying to understand the
interaction between the dialog settings and functions such as INDIRECT().
Additional UI suggestion
The option label "Treat empty string as zero" may be interpreted as a general
rule affecting all formula evaluation contexts.
In practice, the option only applies when Calc needs to convert an empty string
into a numeric operand for a calculation.
To make this scope clearer, consider changing the label to something more
explicit, for example:
Treat empty string as zero in numeric calculations
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