Worksheet Improvements

[A.D.K.]

Can we please get the ability to freeze rows/columns, and the ability to edit more than one cell at a time?

 

Thanks!

[livespace josha]

My two requests for worksheets:

- Make the functionality and interaction more like Excell/Numbers (formulas, moving cells, merging, etc)

- The ability to import, export and reference cells/columns/data from an external spreadsheet file (or have the worksheet portion of the file .vwx file separate and externally editable.)

 

Hope I didn't hijack your thread!

[A.D.K.]

Hijack away!  I'm trying to coordinate with my GrandMA fixture layer exports, and gosh darn if it ain't tedious at the moment.  And the opportunity for human error is huge.  Are your requests for similar reasons?

[JMR]

A bit like the freeze column / row wish, I think:

 

 

[A.D.K.]

On 7/6/2019 at 1:53 AM, JMR said:

A bit like the freeze column / row wish, I think:

 

Exactly, amigo. 

[GoodPeter]

Dear Sir and/or Madam.

 

I endorse this thread whole-heartedly.  Ideally, at least some basic spreadsheet functionality should be present in worksheets. You should be able to cut and paste more easily, you should be able to extend a value or series of values along rows or columns (for example type 1, 2, 3, and highlight further with it automatically filling in the subsequent series - or at least it should be able to populate a single value along a column).

 

Failing this, I believe a reasonable request would be to at the very least be able to copy and paste between worksheet and standard spreadsheet of your choice. Currently, we are halfway there - cutting and pasting does preserve values and cells from worksheet into spreadsheet.  Unfortunately, cutting and pasting back the other direction results in all values being paste into ONE cell in the worksheet.  - If multiple cells with the same number of rows/columns are selected when you paste, then all the source information is pasted into each one of those worksheet cells. 

 

I hope the worksheet gets the love it deserves. 

 

Edited July 12, 2019 by GoodPeter

[Amorphous - Julian]

Agree with the above points to:

(1) freeze columns rows

(2) split worksheets 

 

Further, would like to see the following:

(3) use ‘Text Style’ and ‘Cell Style’ for formatting 

(4) increase the logic test with formula [if(a=b(c,d))] from the current 14 levels limit to at least 50 levels

[tekbench]

Worksheet improvements are also high on my list. I'd like a couple key items:

 

Cut and Paste from excel should be same shape and size in the Vectorworks worksheet. Vectorworks should stretch to accept a paste that has more columns or rows than the user has set up.

 

Rather/in addition to the 1 vs 1.1 database nomenclature, ability to change the color of database rows automatically in mixed database/worksheet documents.

 

Make the 'create new worksheet' button a tool button rather than a disappearing button in the bottom of the resource browser that you can only find if you've selected 'worksheets' in the resource browser. At least make is show up in the resource browser when you select "All Resources".

 

The worksheet and database functionality is a huge selling point of Vectorworks. I'd like to see some serious cycles behind it to make it a little easier on the end user.

[Benson Shaw]

This is super basic:

An update button on the worksheet.

For me a big red one would be great, but almost anything is ok if I can see and access it without clicking into a dialog or menu.

 

-B

[tekbench]

I'd add that Benson's proposed big red 'Update' button should also be re-labeled 'Update Active' and then a second button labeled 'Update All'.

While re-calculate makes technical sense, it is very counter intuitive for an end user IMHO. Especially when there is nothing to calculate in your database. Just a long list of things. re-calculate implies that I only need that button if my worksheet is doing maths. And I do understand that it IS doing a ton of background math, just not maths that i've set up.

[Samuel Derenboim]

Also, is it possible to make hidden columns? (For calculation purposes, or referencing information that shouldn't appear in the worksheet for modification purposes)

[Benson Shaw]

15 hours ago, tekbench said:

I'd add that Benson's proposed big red 'Update' button should also be re-labeled 'Update Active' and then a second button labeled 'Update All'.

Update or Recalc Active could be good. Maybe the Update All should remain hidden in a menu or dialog? It’s potentially time consuming to wait for inadvertent unstoppable multiple updates. 

 

A related idea (but way down list) is some graphical indicator of Out Of Date status.  Could be barber pole border similar to Viewports, or color background. Or color text/background in the resource manager list of worksheets.  Or ???

 

-B

Edited July 30, 2019 by Benson Shaw
Riffing

[JuanP]

Thank you for feedback, I just submitted this wish under the following: VE-99965

Even though this is an internal # and might not mean much to you all, It will help me/us to keep you all informed of any progress.

[The Anorak]

Hey all this is half a question and half a wishlist (as who knows the functionality might exist and I may not have found it).

This is primarily for generating fixture and fitting, and furniture schedules:

Is there a way to assign an image to a symbol i.e in the record format include an image function (photo from the product website) that can then be called up in the worksheet?

Of course you can include a plan/elevation view of the object but this really doesn't satisfy what I'm looking for.

 

Thanks - any help would be appreciated.

[KAKI]

Any updates?

[MGuilfoile]

In my opinion, the most egregious missing feature is the lack of a sort feature. I mean, it's not really a worksheet if you can't sort the rows in the same way that an Excel spreadsheet does...or any worksheet application, for that matter. Please let me know if I'm just missing something obvious, but I can't find it anywhere. It could very well be human error on my part.

MHBrown

[Pat Stanford]

Database rows can be sorted by any column by clicking the disclosure triangle in the database header row for that column and choosing Ascending or Desending.  You can sort by Multiple Columns, but you may have to remove the sort and replace them if you want to change the sort priority.

 

There is no sort capability for Spreadsheet rows.

[MGuilfoile]

"There is no sort capability for Spreadsheet rows."

 

Yes, but that is what I want (and what every spreadsheet has the ability to do): Sort--either alphabetically or numerically--by row. For example, put objects in alphabetical order in a list showing the subtotal quantities of each. At present, spreadsheets, worksheets, whatever they are called, do not seem to have this basic function. Perhaps we are talking about two different things. I don't know what databases are. I'm looking for ways to print a schedule of items in my model with their quantities. The Worksheet does this, but maybe I should be using this Database function instead, yes?

Thanks,

MHBrown

[Tom W.]

46 minutes ago, MGuilfoile said:

"There is no sort capability for Spreadsheet rows."

 

Yes, but that is what I want (and what every spreadsheet has the ability to do): Sort--either alphabetically or numerically--by row. For example, put objects in alphabetical order in a list showing the subtotal quantities of each. At present, spreadsheets, worksheets, whatever they are called, do not seem to have this basic function. Perhaps we are talking about two different things. I don't know what databases are. I'm looking for ways to print a schedule of items in my model with their quantities. The Worksheet does this, but maybe I should be using this Database function instead, yes?

Thanks,

MHBrown

 

Why don't you post a screenshot of one of your worksheets then we can say whether it is a database report or a spreadsheet. I would say most of the time people are working with database reports which can be sorted as Pat describes.

[MGuilfoile]

Yes, great idea; please see attached. This image, however, is definitely shows a spreadsheet. It may reflect the information from a "database," which is also a generally understood term for what gets organized into a spreadsheet. I'm not sure how these two could be conflated as one (the spreadsheet) is a visual rendering of the other (the database). But perhaps Vectorworks has different definitions for these common terms?

 

Thanks for any help!

 

MHBrown

[Tom W.]

The row with the black diamond + the '.1', '.2', etc sub rows underneath means it's a database report:

 

This symbol means you've summarised the symbol name column:

 

Click on the symbol again to open the dialog Pat was talking about where you can sort the list of symbols into ascending or descending order:

 

You can do the same in the 'count' column if desired.

 

There is plenty of info elsewhere explaining the difference between database rows + spreadsheet rows so I won't go into that here...

 

[MGuilfoile]

Thank you! This is very helpful. Now, I just have to figure out why my spreadsheet/database report is showing symbols that are not in the file. They may have been in at one time, but they were deleted a while ago. Certainly, they were deleted before recalculating the spreadsheet.

[Tom W.]

5 minutes ago, MGuilfoile said:

Thank you! This is very helpful. Now, I just have to figure out why my spreadsheet/database report is showing symbols that are not in the file. They may have been in at one time, but they were deleted a while ago. Certainly, they were deleted before recalculating the spreadsheet.

 

Right click on one of the database rows ('2.1', etc) + you get an option to select that object in the drawing...

[michaelk]

Depending on your database criteria, it could be finding symbols that are nested in other symbols, part of a plug-ing object, in viewport annotations, or in a design layer viewport, even one referenced from another file.

 

[MGuilfoile]

Thanks for the tips, however, many of the objects listed in the spreadsheet/database have the right click "view object" grayed out. Nothing happens when I click on those objects. That actually makes sense since the objects are not in the file (rather than on some forgotten design layer or far away from the origin). I'll check my database criteria and make sure I don't have something wrong. That is probably where the problem lies.

Thanks again!

MH Brown

[Pat Stanford]

The ones where Select Object are greyed out are likely to be lines where you have multiple objects SUMmarized together.  Select Object only works if you have a single object in the database subrow.