Issue 44828

rjahn1, you have this issue set at 1.1.4. Can you download the at least the beta
version of OOo and test it there? I am using OOo 1.9.84, and I did not see a
trace for cross-sheet formulae.

If you do still see this issue after downloading a newer version, can you
describe what you expected to see, as well as what you are seeing?

Thanks..

The software installation on my work PC is centrally regulated.  Not sure if
1.1.4 and 1.9.8 can co-exist.  Do not want to ask admin. to remove 1.1.4, load
1.9.8, test, remove 1.9.8, load 1.1.4.  Can you find a beta tester on MS Windows
2000?

Please clarify.  Do you mean that in 1.9.8 there is no menu command sequence
"tools", "detective", "trace"?  Or do you mean that there is no display of
"arrow symbol" + "square block" after the menu command sequence on a cell
containing references to cells in different sheets?

Would you like me to provide a simple example in 1.1.4?

Created attachment 23971 [details]
1.9.84's view of Tools>Detective> ...

I meant the first thing you said: there is no menu command sequence "tools",
"detective", "trace"..

I have attached a bitmap showing what I see when I go to Tools > Detective.

I am on Windows 2000 SP4 running OOo 1.9.84.

And yes, please provide an example :)

Created attachment 23972 [details]
trace precedents

Seems to be miscommunication.  "trace precedents", "trace depedents".  The
attached file 44828.sxc was created by 1.1.4 and uses "trace precedents" as an
example.  It shows arrows, squares, etc.  Double click on all these "relation"
icons.  Then refer to the original description in this issue.  Hope that this
example helps.

Not a defect but an enhancement request.
Re-assigned to requirements.

Frank

Frank,

classifying this as an Enhancement Request is somewhat misleading. Even with 
the current version (OO 2.1.0, Win XP) it is not possible to trace 
dependents/precendents, as long they are on a different sheet. I would ask to 
rename the corresponding menu items from "Trace dependents/precendents" 
to "Indicate presence of dependents/precendents", which is a much better 
description of OO's capabilities per today

ms777

Trace dependents or trace precedents does a trace (with good funicionality), but
if the traced cell is in another sheet the funcionality is gone.
It becomes almost imposible to check a medium sized spreadsheet without the
trace being fully functional.
This is not an enhancement but a defect. 
Classifying this as an enhancement (which "depends on the eye of the beholder")
is no only misleading but will delay indefinitely its fixing. Sometimes i wonder
if developers look at users reports from a user point of view.

Trace dependents or trace precedents does a trace (with good funicionality), but
if the traced cell is in another sheet the funcionality is gone.
It becomes almost imposible to check a medium sized spreadsheet without the
trace being fully functional.
This is not an enhancement but a defect. 
Classifying this as an enhancement (which "depends on the eye of the beholder")
is no only misleading but will delay indefinitely its fixing. Sometimes i wonder
if developers look at users reports from a user point of view.

Please add this - the trace is useless if it doesn't cross sheets, almost
embarrassing really if you want calc to be taken seriously.

I agree with eduardojrobledo and hlampert --- the Calc trace function should be
able to locate precedents on other worksheets in a file.  

Also, it should be able to find precedents in other files --- if you make cell x
in file A equal to cell y in file B, you should be able to trace cell x in file
A to find cell y in file B by opening file B.  Of course, this would require an
"update links ?" option when files having such links are opened.

I agree with eduardojrobledo and hlampert & stealthsub
Without cross-sheet-ability, Trace is useless except for very basic spreadsheets
- which is not the case with normal life.  You don't do complex Calc-docs in one
sheet.....
So for me, this is a useless function, only good for marketing purposes.

Frank, please re-evaluate your decision, if possible.

Agreed. This is a defect.

At the very least, it needs to be documented that it doesn't work across sheets.
Though, in the UI, I, as a user, would expect at least a popup indicating that
the trace refers to another sheet, rather than just a mysterious visual indication.

Functioning fully across sheets is, of course, ideal, and I admit that such a
level could be consideed an enhancement.

Does it make sense to split this Issue into two?

The behavior appears not to have substantially improved as of 3.0.1

definately a defect  - I have had to convert my spreadsheet to excel to trace
dependents on different sheets - kinda defeates the purpose

have just voted for this. 

Quite crucial feature when using calc for complex multi-sheet spreadsheets. 

If it is easier to implement then a tooltip on hover over the arrow which
indicates a trace to a different sheet showing the sheet name and cell location
would be a good first step.

second step is to make that tooltip clickable to take you to the traced cell
(similar to what the" magnifying glass with arrow" special cursor does already
for same sheet traces).

third step is to show the traces on the destination sheet (sheet 2) of the trace
when tracing was enabled on sheet 1. 

is there a mechanism for sponsoring these?

The detective functionality is indeed pretty useless if it does not allow for
cross-sheet referencing. The sad truth is that I revert back to MS-excel when I
need to audit a spreadsheet, but this defeats the purpose of OO.

It would also be useful to have a tool bar for the detective functions. If not,
there should at least be shortcuts for every function, (ie not just for "trace"
but also for "remove".  

This is a very important feature. When more than one person is working on a
spreadsheet, or someone is checking a spreadsheet for errors, or someone is
trying to understand a spreadsheet developed by someone else, the ability to
trace precedents and dependents is essential; especially across worksheets.

Exporting to Excel to gain access to this capability is not often an option,
since the compatibility between calc and Excel isn't perfect.

This one of the few missing capabilities that keeps our company from
standardizing on calc.

I would suggest that the lack of votes on this issue is due largely to the
difficulty in describing and finding this page. As the last comment notes, this
is an absolute must-have for anyone who does cross-referencing in their
formulas. Certainly we are a small office and this single issue is one of the
main reasons why my colleagues persist with MS Office etc. - and I cannot
believe that it is hugely difficult to resolve?

I tried tracing with Lotus Symphony and found that tracing to dependents in another sheet "sort of" works.  The trace on the initial sheet just shows a blue square to indicate a dependent on a different sheet, but if you can find the dependent sheet, the trace does show up there.  Tracing precedents, however, just gives the blue square on the initial sheet with no indication on the precedent's sheet.  Maybe the next OpenOffice version could at least pick up this partial fix?

I have just tried to trace a dependent in a sheet inherited from a third party using OO 4.1.0

There is no information available that I can see, other than an arrow and a blue box around a group of cells. I believe that in MS Excel it is possible to double click the arrow to get more information. I think it's long overdue to implement something similar.

I have just tried to trace a dependent in a sheet that I created using AOO 4.1.0 but couldn't identify my dependents that are tied to other sheets in the workbook. 

There is no information available that I can see, other than an arrow and a blue box around a group of cells. I believe that in MS Excel information is provided to identify the location of dependent cells in other sheets. I think it's long overdue to implement something similar.

Please consider this strongly for your next update.

Rich

This bug is now 10 years old, and the majority of users commenting here agree that it's a defect rather than an enhancement. Why is there neither a milestone or an assignment to such an important issue? Why does the keyword tag contain needmoreinfo? Which info is needed?

Any chance to have this issue fixed in next OOo releases?
Thanks

This won't be in the next AOO update. If you're looking for an immediate fix I suggest using Libreoffice, also free, open source software: https://help.libreoffice.org/Calc/Detective

+1 this should be listed as CRITICAL because it really is a serious bug!

This bug still has not been fixed in LibreOffice either:

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=63087

The bug is also discussed here:

https://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=82706

Can someone please give an update on when this bug will be fixed???

...

@AOOisDead: you have told people to use LibreOffice, but this bug is still present in LibreOffice as well?