Bug 82481 - SUM() copies cell formats
Summary: SUM() copies cell formats
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Calc (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
4.3.0.4 release
Hardware: Other All
: low enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: needsUXEval
Depends on:
Blocks: Function-Sum
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Reported: 2014-08-11 22:18 UTC by bugzilla1533
Modified: 2020-02-19 13:22 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

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Crash report or crash signature:


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Description bugzilla1533 2014-08-11 22:18:52 UTC
Create a spreadsheet. In one column have a few numbers. Format that column as Fraction. In a cell in another column, SUM() the first column's numbers. You will see that the format of the SUM() cell has been changed from Number-General to Fraction. This seems totally wrong to me, SUM() should only be returning the value of the cells it's summing, not their other properties.
Comment 1 ign_christian 2014-08-12 05:22:40 UTC
Possibly NOTABUG. I think it's make sense that SUM result should have same format as source data.

Please consider to ask for help here: http://ask.libreoffice.org/en/help/
Comment 2 bugzilla1533 2014-08-12 05:30:23 UTC
Why shouldn't SUM have the same format as the cell it's in? I don't recall other formulas changing the format of their cells to that of their source data. SUMIF doesn't, for example.
Comment 3 ign_christian 2014-08-12 05:48:30 UTC
I understand your objection, also saw Kingsoft behaves like what you expected.

So lets wait others opinion regarding this issue :)
Comment 4 Cor Nouws 2014-08-12 09:23:57 UTC
Note that the formatting of the cell with Sum does not change if you apply a formatting other then the default.
(also when counting with times, formatting of the cell with the result does matter a lot, IIRC)
Comment 5 ign_christian 2014-08-12 09:56:38 UTC
I think what bugzilla1533@rule506.net meant can be seen with this steps:
1. Right-click Column A > Format Cells > Fraction > OK
2. Select cell B1 > hit 'Sum' button > select cells A1:A2 > hit Enter
3. Verify that cell B1 have 'Fraction' format

bugzilla1533@rule506.net claimed that cell B1 should keep its default format (Number-Standard).

Tested with LO 4.2.6.2 - Ubuntu 12.04 x86

@Cor, what do you think regarding that behavior? Is that a bug?
Comment 6 Cor Nouws 2014-08-12 11:51:03 UTC
(In reply to comment #5)
> I think what bugzilla1533@rule506.net meant can be seen with this steps:
> [...]

This does not conflict with my comment 4 :)
My comment is more an addition.

> @Cor, what do you think regarding that behavior? Is that a bug?

Along the line of my comment 4, I would say no. 
But if others have arguments to disagree, I'm open to see those.
Comment 7 Alex Thurgood 2014-10-18 14:20:49 UTC
At the least, this could be set as RFE, but seeing  as several of us already feel that this is not a bug, there might well not be any takers for development
Comment 8 eisa01 2018-03-16 18:51:43 UTC
Setting version to all, this is not mac specific
Comment 9 eisa01 2020-02-15 23:04:31 UTC
Seems like this needs an assessment by UX too

LibreOffice has the same behavior as Excel, so I would not recommend to accept this enhancement
Comment 10 Eike Rathke 2020-02-18 23:13:24 UTC
I wouldn't even see it as an enhancement.. A sum of values inheriting the same format category (or even format if possible) if the target/sum cell isn't formatted already is a nice feature.
Comment 11 Heiko Tietze 2020-02-19 13:22:27 UTC
Agree with WF.

Enter 0.1,0.2,0.3 as fractions and format as number (all become) zero, the sum with general format will show .6 instead of "copying the format". Format the cell where you plan to put the sum in advance as currency and it will use that.