Bug 156817 - Calc: selection automatic sum/average broken with error cells
Summary: Calc: selection automatic sum/average broken with error cells
Status: RESOLVED NOTABUG
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Calc (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
7.5.5.2 release
Hardware: All All
: medium minor
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: needsUXEval
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2023-08-19 12:07 UTC by mattia.b89
Modified: 2023-08-21 08:43 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
demo screencast (639.22 KB, video/webm)
2023-08-19 12:08 UTC, mattia.b89
Details

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Description mattia.b89 2023-08-19 12:07:33 UTC
Description:
The automatic selection sum/average evaluation is broken with a cell containing error EVEN IF deselected 

Steps to Reproduce:
1. fill a column of five cells
2. fill a sixth cell with an error e.g. with "=*1"
3. select the whole non-empty column
(I attach a screencast showing steps, cases and issue)

Actual Results:
empty sum/average

Expected Results:
sum/average calculation


Reproducible: Always


User Profile Reset: Yes

Additional Info:
Version: 7.5.5.2 (X86_64) / LibreOffice Community
Build ID: 50(Build:2)
CPU threads: 4; OS: Linux 6.4; UI render: default; VCL: gtk3
Locale: it-IT (en_GB.UTF-8); UI: en-GB
7.5.5-1
Calc: CL threaded
Comment 1 mattia.b89 2023-08-19 12:08:36 UTC
Created attachment 189037 [details]
demo screencast
Comment 2 ady 2023-08-20 01:49:07 UTC
Just in case it is not clear for other readers, the description refers to the values calculated and displayed on the status bar.

It is true that as soon as the selection includes a cell with an error, the calculation is not displayed (for the rest of the cells, ignoring the error). I believe this is expected.

On its own, the error message shown on the status bar when the relevant (error) cell is on focus is an expected behavior. So, when you deselect the cell that contains the error, the focus is still on the same cell and thus the error messaged on the status bar is still shown.

After deselecting the cell that contains the error, you could select some other cell within the relevant range, twice: once deselects the cell (that contains a valid value) and the second time selects it again. The status bar then identifies that the focus is on a cell that contains no error, and thus the calculations are displayed as intended, not an error message.

Considering that displaying error messages (depending on the focus) is a key feature, I'm not sure there is a way to improve the behavior of the status bar with calculations without reducing the important warnings / info about errors.

At any rate, I would consider this a potential enhancement request, not really a bug.
Comment 3 mattia.b89 2023-08-20 05:55:32 UTC
yes, @ady was right, my opening description is poor and case is complicated;
I'll remedy here:

*FOREWORD: with "sum/average" I am talking about the automatic calculation results shown in the status bar, on the right, just before the zoom slider*

Referring to my screencast, I show you three issues:

1- if I select column H (all numeric values), sum/average is calculated; and this is done both if I select the first cell and drag cursor until last one OR I individually select those cells;
with column I (containing a problematic cell "Err:510"), if I selects cells by dragging the cursor, sum/average is EMPTY, no calculation are done (and this is right!) but none message is shown (around time 0:10 in my video);

this is FIRST ISSUE: if I select something, I'd like to see values for sum/average OR the reason why Calc can't do its work; in a few word, a better sum/average error handling [enhancement].

2- if I individually select cells in column I, first two cells (numeric) return sum/average values and as soon as (around time 0:29 in my video) I include the third cell (Err:510), sum/average in the status bar CORRECTLY! changes in "Error: Variable missing";
unfortunately situation goes back to EMPTY sum/average when I select other numeric cells;
but here is the SECOND ISSUE: if I deselect the "Err:510" cell (time 0:34) the sum/average values got updated to a wrong result, that is "Error: Variable missing", even if current selection contains only good cells [bug];

3- the THIRD and last comes now: how to fix the second issue? the following workaround works: simply select a good cell (I pick one from column H) and then immediately deselect it (time 0:37); you can notice sum/average values change accordingly; in a few word, sum/average calculation didn't get update with a problematic cell [bug], indeed I need to "force" an update by selecting/deselecting a foreign cell.

I hope this will clarify my report.
Comment 4 ady 2023-08-20 15:05:06 UTC
(In reply to mattia.b89 from comment #3)
> that is "Error:
> Variable missing", even if current selection contains only good cells [bug];

As I said in comment 2, that only happens when the focus is still on the same cell that contains the (#NAME?) error, whichever other cells are selected. This specific info in the status bar should not be hidden. Some potential enhancement might be found, but the error message in the status bar should remain as long as a cell with an error has the focus. As said, changing the focus to another cell allows for the calculations to be displayed.
Comment 5 Heiko Tietze 2023-08-21 08:43:16 UTC
(In reply to ady from comment #2)
> It is true that as soon as the selection includes a cell with an error, the
> calculation is not displayed (for the rest of the cells, ignoring the
> error). I believe this is expected.

Agree. And since your sheet should not have any calculation error I think we keep the behavior as it is (no quick stats).