Post by: daryl66 on February 03, 2011, 01:49:35 PM
I would appreciate any comments, pro or con.
Daryl
Post by: Xairbusdriver on February 03, 2011, 02:03:10 PM
QUOTE
A work around has been identified.
Are you going to let us know what that is? I never got started using spread sheets since databases were so much easier to set up and display data. So, I have very little experience with Numbers and absolutely none with Excel, except for those that have been sent to me. And, even those, I open in FileMaker! 
But I am a little surprised that Numbers can use Excel macro's. 
I'm sure that will be great for many users. Still, Numbers has many fewer functions than Excel and many have no choice other than Open|Libra|Office.
Post by: daryl66 on February 03, 2011, 02:13:17 PM
QUOTE(Xairbusdriver @ Feb 3 2011, 03:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE
A work around has been identified.
Are you going to let us know what that is? I never got started using spread sheets since databases were so much easier to set up and display data. So, I have very little experience with Numbers and absolutely none with Excel, except for those that have been sent to me. And, even those, I open in FileMaker! But I am a little surprised that Numbers can use Excel macro's. I'm sure that will be great for many users. Still, Numbers has many fewer capabilities than Excel and many have no choice other than Open|Libra|Office.Bear in mind this is the results of the sum total of about an hour of experimenting. As stated, Numbers has no option for setting a print area, it is WYSIWYG. The solution is simply "copy and paste". Highlight the area of the spreadsheet you want printed, copy it to the clipboard, paste it in "Preview" and head out from there.
I have passed along the "warning" notices to the guy that wrote the Macros for me (about 6-7 years ago) to see if he saw anything that would be a killer, however I can say that at first blush, what I am using sure seems to work ok.
Post by: Xairbusdriver on February 03, 2011, 02:31:41 PM
I told you I have 0.000109 hours of experience... 
There is a "Show/Hide Print View" item in the View menu. Of course, that is simply what will print on a page, not how to select what you want... And the page/paper size and margins are easily set in the Inspector...
Post by: Paddy on February 03, 2011, 03:21:27 PM
http://www.ehow.com/how_7360744_run-excel-...-mac-iwork.html
Review after review of iWork '09 says essentially the same thing:
QUOTE
A second missing feature is Excel macro support. Although Numbers can easily open and save in Excel formats, it cannot work with macros. If a macro exists in a file that is edited in Numbers and saved, the macro seems to be consistently stripped from the document.
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/arti...eature_set.html
And yes, there definitely is a lack of ability to choose the print area like you can in Excel. Quite a few discussions on that topic. Let's hope that Apple pays attention!
http://www.mackb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/mac-ap...able-in-Numbers
Post by: daryl66 on February 03, 2011, 03:39:16 PM
QUOTE(Paddy @ Feb 3 2011, 04:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Re: Excel macros in Numbers....can't see anything that indicates that these will work, Daryl.
Well ya'll my turn to really blush.
Ya are absolutely correct. 
When I opened that excel file it had 15 work sheets plus a summary page and all of the information was there. ASSUME. I did not input any data to see what actually happened, I spent an hour chasing the print issue. In response to your responses, I tried a new file and guess what. The Macros do NOT work. Numbers must have just copied the info that existed in the Excel file. OHH Well what can I say. 
I guess that would be "CON" info.
fuggetabtit.
Daryl
Post by: Jack W on February 04, 2011, 01:12:13 PM
Bummer!
Post by: Xairbusdriver on February 04, 2011, 06:52:38 PM
I suspect that you need to discover the Show Layout and Print Views rather than maybe maintaining the standard, boring, amazingly dull columns and rows view.That's always been my most favorite thing to dislike about a spreadsheet. Never displaying any imagination, "Just the facts, ma'am." That's why I enjoy FM so much, the data is secondary, it's how it's displayed that is important.
I actually used to use FM as a page layout app! Probably more for that than making databases! Most of my time was spent creating 'entry input' screens and evaluating that entry to avoid the proverbial 'garbage in, garbage out' problem. So much data is simply not required to be seen all the time, it just gets in the way. You may already know all that, of course.The first thing one should do with any of the three iWork apps, in my humble opinion, is to study and play with the "Inspector" pallets in each app. That's where all of the tricks and even standard info is stored and adjusted. Then, play with the included samples and see how different elements are controlled, changed, connected, beautified, etc. If all you've ever done with a spreadsheet is create labels for columns and rows and developed formula for actions, Numbers will simply be a waste of time; stick with Excel/Open Office/etc. Numbers is basically a Pages clone but with data crunching genes spliced in.
So, it's not in the least surprising to me that Numbers is so capable of visual display, the data and the functions list is almost an afterthought!
