Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by o1y32 1138 days ago
I ran into this issue and looked it up. It was an intentional design choice, and kind of makes sense when you realize that Excel sheets can have reference of each other -- they are not necessarily independent. Of course a lot of people probably never do that in their entire lifetime when using Excel and can feel annoying.
2 comments
strictfp 1138 days ago
They could solve that by keeping track of references and asking you though.
link
greggsy 1138 days ago
As a daily Excel power user, I'd prefer to just know that there is one expected behaviour, and not to be bothered by a context window. The fact that ctrl-z just changes context to the other workbook is enough notification in itself, and I can just ctrl-y otherwise.
link
solarkraft 1138 days ago
Wouldn't it be a good compromise to ask you on the first occurrence?
link
greggsy 1136 days ago
No, because I get the point about context very, very quickly. I can’t imagine anything worse than being asked every time when I know exactly what’s going to happen.
link
jtbayly 1138 days ago
Sheets or docs?

Within one doc, and multiple sheets makes sense, I guess.

Across docs doesn’t make sense to me.

link
datathrow0007 1138 days ago
Docs.

It's for when you want to have distributed data stores.

For example, if you're building out a doc to track your net worth, income, and spending habits:

- One main sheet that collates all the data required here (e.g. credit card statements, in-flows and out-flows from bank accounts, current debts and current assets)

- Have 3 more docs:

One that collates and summarizes your credit card charges

One that collates your bank statements

One that collates your assets and liabilities

///

Let's say my "credit card charges" sheet automatically pulls in my charges over API, and appends them to the "Charges" sheet in the "Credit Card.xls." Then the "Summary" sheet in this "Credit Card.xls" summarizes this information into something useful. My "Main.xls" (that collates all of my data into something even more readable and useful) can then pull data from this "Credit Card.xls" sheet (through API or locally), and automatically keep itself updated.

I could stuff this all into one single doc, with numerous sheets, but I don't want to deal with the cognitive overhead of having to navigate through an enormous amount of sheets I rarely (if ever) need to touch (again).

Perhaps I don't even have access to the physical "Credit Card.xls" doc, because my personal assistant automatically appends to it, and keeps it uploaded somewhere.

link
CamperBob2 1138 days ago
I could stuff this all into one single doc, with numerous sheets, but I don't want to deal with the cognitive overhead of having to navigate through an enormous amount of sheets I rarely (if ever) need to touch (again).

So instead, everybody else has to deal with the cognitive overhead of a document model that is used by no other mainstream PC software program known to Man.

link
jtbayly 1138 days ago
If the point is to only have to work with one doc, then undo across docs is still not useful.
link
gruez 1138 days ago
You can definitely reference cells across workbooks
link