Moving beyond OOo 3.2.1

[Don Daugherty <dd...@sunflower.com>]

I've been clinging to version 3.2.1 of OOo and I'd  really prefer to 
move from OOo 3.2.1 (2010) to 4.1.1 (2014)!

My problem is that many of my spreadsheets don't work in the newer 
versions.  I use a lot of linking to html files containing dates that 
3.2.1 and before recognized as dates but which 3.3 and beyond treat as 
text.   I could insert extra columns containing VALUE() functions to 
overcome the change, but that's a lot of editing and would lead to 
larger, more complex spreadsheets.

Is there a setting or option somewhere in the new versions to make them 
treat these dates as dates rather than as simple text?

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Re: Moving beyond OOo 3.2.1

[Brian Barker <b....@btinternet.com>]

At 15:36 26/09/2014 -0500, Don Daugherty wrote:
>I've been clinging to version 3.2.1 of OOo and I'd really prefer to 
>move from OOo 3.2.1 (2010) to 4.1.1 (2014)! My problem is that many 
>of my spreadsheets don't work in the newer versions.

You cannot stick with older versions indefinitely, of course - so 
your problem needs solving rather than circumventing.

>I use a lot of linking to html files containing dates that 3.2.1 and 
>before recognized as dates but which 3.3 and beyond treat as text. I 
>could insert extra columns containing VALUE() functions to overcome 
>the change, but that's a lot of editing and would lead to larger, 
>more complex spreadsheets. Is there a setting or option somewhere in 
>the new versions to make them treat these dates as dates rather than 
>as simple text?

If there were such an option, you could not rely on it for ever, so - 
again - you need to modify your spreadsheets to work with current software.

If you are simply observing or printing the dates, I imagine it 
doesn't really matter whether the spreadsheet sees them as dates or 
text. So you must be using them in formulae. In that case, instead of 
inserting extra columns, the way forward may be to build any 
necessary VALUE() function references (or whatever) into existing 
formulae in other cells, so that the correct results can be obtained 
directly from the dates as text. If you do decide to use extra 
columns instead, these could be put away out of view and out of any 
print range - even on a separate sheet. This way, your spreadsheet 
would appear neither larger nor more complex.

How about linking to the HTML document from a subsidiary (and unseen) 
sheet and then using whatever VALUE() expressions you need to extract 
the data in the form you need into your existing, visible, working sheet(s)?

I see you do not appear to have had any replies so far; I suspect 
anyone would need to see a sample in order to detect the best method.

I trust this helps.

Brian Barker


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