This extension generates a data input form for tables in calc, reproducing the Data - Form feature of Microsoft Office Excel.
Installation
Double-click on the extension file and follow the instructions.
After installation close both OpenOffice.org and the Quickstarter (the icon in the traybar), and start OpenOffice.org again.
Usage
In Calc, create a table with at least one row and the headline, for example:
Name | Surname | Cellphone
John | Smith | 1234455
Then, click on a range or any cell of the newly created table (not on empty cells), and go to Data - Form. That's it.
A form will appear letting you insert other records, or edit-delete the old ones.
For developers
You can also call the routine with a specified range as (optional) parameter:
coboDataForm(<B1:D10>)
Bug reports
If you want to help us with bugs, please send an error report with this data:
- error description
- operating system
- openoffice.org version
Available languages
Brazilian Portuguese, Catalan, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Japanese, Italian, Norwegian Bokmal, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish.
If anybody wants to help for the translation in other languages, please post a comment or contact us.
License: GPL v2
Part of the extension is based on the code of this OOoForum discussion:
http://www.oooforum.org/forum/viewtopic.phtml?p=283278
1.0.3|
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Comments
DataForm 1.03
This extension appears to be broken. After much fiddling, we can get it to show an input form for 26 fields using the column headers (if *any* cell is empty for selecting "data range" it does not produce the input form.)
However, it systematically overwrites the first row of the existing spreadsheet.
We have tried to define the "data range" by selecting the last row of the spreadsheet, and it reports: "Table not found. Select a range or single cell in the table area and try again", then comes up with a "Basic runtime error. An exception occurred. Type com.sun.star.lang.IndexoutofboundsException."
Conclusion - it looked promising but does not work (at least for us.)
Hi Paul, As stated in the
Hi Paul,
As stated in the extension description, in case of malfunction we need detailed information about the bug.
You can send an error report with this data:
- detailed error description, with step-by-step indication on how to reproduce the bug
- operating system information
- openoffice.org version
- if possible, please send also a .ods (or .xls) file example that triggers the bug
Thanks,
cobo
DataForm 1.03
Tnx for the quick response. Using OpenOffice 3.2.1 (build 9502) on Win XP Pro SP 2, Java 6 update 22.
Test file available at http://www.aandc.org/temp/test_data_input_form.ods
To reproduce, download file, select cells A1:Z1 and use DataForm from Tools.
Note that headers are merged cells rows A and B. If you delete row B, DataForm will not function. The drop down box appears to work well but adds new record to row C, overwriting existing row - not (as expected?) on the first available blank row.
If you select cells A:Z in the last line (a) DataForm reports "Table not found" and (b) even if it did, the drop down form would not give proper headers on the left hand side (making the form virtually useless for data entry by our volunteers - we are a charity library!)
Appreciate any help.
Paul (tired old sys-admin)
Dataform would not work
I downloaded this just now, and installed it in Open Office 3.2.1
for operating system Windows XP Pro.
I installed it - the agreement appeared, etc. and the extension manager
showed it installed.
The item appears in the Data menu.
I clicked on the first cell of my table that had data ( i.e. the second row,
first column), then chose Data/dataform.
Nothing appeared. I tried several other cells - nothing.
Any suggestions? This is a really handy feature which I have used
in MS Excel many times.
I wish also you might add some navigation features as in the MS version..
Thanks,!
Partly solved
Hello,
we already solved the "not working" part by email (the extension worked after restarting openoffice).
About the navigation features... can you tell me exactly what do wou mean?
Thanks!
cobo
Adjusting size of Form Window
Salve,
First thanks for the great extension. Works very well on OOo3.2.1. One quick request. Would it be possible to allow the size of the Form window to be adjusted (made bigger). People with longer cells would like to be able to read the entire contents of a cell without scrolling. This is only possible if the Form window can be made wider.
Ciao,
Jonathan
You make a very reasonable
You make a very reasonable request, we''l work on it, but it might take some time because it's not a priority.
Anyway, the extension is open source (you just have to download it and unzip it to see the code), so if anybody else can help us with patches and bug fixing we would appreciate it.
Thanks,
cobo
error with date value
I encountered a problem with incorrect date values. Will stop the macro and display the source code...
I found a simple solution, show an error message and delete the contents of cell
Function salvaRecord as Boolean.....
change these lines
datetime1 = DateValue(txtCampo.Text)
cella.Value = datetime1
with these other
If IsDate(txtCampo.Text) = False Then
MsgBox("Valore Data Errato")
cella.setString("")
Else
datetime1 = DateValue(txtCampo.Text)
cella.Value = datetime1
EndIf
thanks!
Thank you very much for the suggestion, we will check your fix and update the extension as soon as possible!
cobo
Form works great on 3.2
I am using the form with Open Office version 3.2 and have not had any problems. I really like it but wish it would pick up more columns that could be seen. Maybe if the format were a couple of columns wide.
Known issue
This is a known issue: if the number of columns exceeds the vertical size of your screen, then the extra lines go "below" the screen and aren't displayed.
I's a major fix that requires some time to be corrected: currently we don't have the resources to allocate, so unfortunately we can't work on it anytime soon.
Anyway, the extension is entirely open source code... help on bug fixes is kindly appreciated!!
Thanks,
cobo.
Installed on OpenOffice 3.1. works as described
Given the date of the release, when I saw other comments of install difficulties I wasn't sure if it worked for 3.1. It works OK. I installed it today on a WinXP system.
Be apprised it does not create a modifiable "Forms" data entry screen where you can move things around the screen. It simply presents a pop-up to generate a new row for an existing table, or edit a row of a table. So it is not nearly the "Forms" functionality that is provided in the Base package, or even the advertised Excel functionality. You won't be building a "GUI" with this.
Hi, I confirm it works also
Hi,
I confirm it works also in OpenOffice 3.x. People who couldn't get it to work was because they forgot to restart OpenOffice (including the Quickstarter) before trying to use it.
It is not my intention to "advertise" this extension for doing something that it doesn't. It's not written anywhere in the extension description that it should provide the "Forms" functionality in Base (and why should we replicate something that it's already in the OO package anyway?) nor that it is able to build a GUI.
But it is correct to say that it reproduces the "Data - Form" functionality in Excel:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel/HP052349691033.aspx?pid=CH010003461033
http://www.timeatlas.com/5_minute_tips/general/excel_data_form_makes_input_easier
because it does just that! :-)
cobo
install problem
I downloaded the extension storing the file (DataForm-0.9.0.oxt) on my ubuntu 8.04, OpenOffice 3.1.0 desktop. The installation states to "Double-click on the extension file and follow the instructions." When I double click on the file I get a box pop up that informs me "There is no application installed for this file type".
How can I proceed? Thanks!!
install problem - no problem
I apologize. A little googling would have revealed the answer. Select tools - extension manager - add, then browse to the download folder and select the extension.
The input into cells that this replaces was using a drop down box. It would be cool if the extension could use them. Also, I have a macro that inserts some text into the current cell that does not work in the form. Also cool if that would work.
Many thanks to the developer. I think I'll put the extension to good work!
bgman.
Bravo
Hi
I have been waiting for this extension for some time now and am very pleased with your great effort.
Thank you very much.
Texhead
Error in installation
Trying to install this plug-in, I get the following error :
Configuration Parser: a
com.sun.star.xml.sax.SAXParseException occured while
parsing : - {Parser Error : [ line 33]: invalid tokenerror }.
I am on kubuntu 8.04 running openoffice 2.4.1
Error
Hi,
I have received several comments about errors during install of version 0.7.0 of DataForm. I have disabled 0.7.0 and re-enabled 0.6, please try this previous release while I try to undesrtand what's wrong with 0.7.0.
Let me know if it works.
Thank you,
cobo
Little improvement
Hi, could you add support for record navigation through keyboard (PgUp, PgDown, Up, Down, Home, End)? I think this will improve usability for your great extension.
Thank you.
Good idea
This is a very good idea. We'll work on it, thanks.
cobo
improvement idea
Cool extension. Just wondering if you might consider an improvement where the user could select from a drop-down one of the existing column entries -- so one could either type in a new entry or just select one from a list of those already previous used in the table.
Thank you
Thank you for your suggestion, but we have created this extension in order to make our users -that were accustomed to the old MS Office Excel- more comfortable with the new OpenOffice.org suite.
This kind of improvement could be certainly useful but would disorient our users, so we won't do it for now.
Anyway, this extension is open source software, so nothing keeps you from taking it, modifying it and doing your own fork.
Cheers,
cobo.
Error in translation ti spanish
Hi.
I find errors in translation to spanish. I correct the files. Can you recieve the files?
Eduardo Moreno
TOKONHU de México
Enhancement
Hi Cobo
At my day job we're talking about ways to make order-taking easier for our staff, so we've been discussing databases, etc., but these get complex really fast. Then I saw your extension and tried it and it's ideal! It would be really easy to create a spreadsheet with a heading for each field, pop up a form and the staff could enter all the info very easily. So here's my question....
Would it be possible to make the form pop up automatically when opening a file? If so, could it be done so that it only opens with specific files rather than all files? I'm envisioning putting a link on a staff computer pointing to a centrally stored 'order form' spreadsheet file out on our network. Staff could click the link and the form pops up ready to fill out, then they add their info and save the file. The person filling the order could then open the file from their computer and process the order.
I'll totally understand if this is too big a pain to implement.
Run macro when opening a file
It's not, because i have nothing to implement! ;-)
You can run ANY macro on the opening of a specific file:
1 - Create your spreadsheet document with the heading and at least one row entry (otherwise DataForm won't work).
2 - Go to Tools - Customize. Select the Event tab. There, select the "Open document" event, and push the "Macro" button.
3 - A window pops up. Here you can select the DataForm macro: click on the "+" beside My macros, then DataForm, and DataForm again
4 - On the right box a list of functions should appear: select the "coboDataForm" function and click "OK"
5 - Click OK again
6 - IMPORTANT: select a cell of your newly created table, DO NOT close the document selecting an empty cell.
7 - Save and close your document.
8 - Now open it again and have fun. :-)
Note that this will work only if you install the DataForm extension in all the computers of your staff.
running macro
Well, that's just perfect! Thanks, cobo.
By the way -- I'm running it on OO version 3, and when I installed the extension, it ended up in the OpenOffice macros, not My Macros (see your step 3). Other than that, it's all working like a charm. :)
Extension installation on OO 3.0
I checked the installation on OO 3.0
The behaviour you have reported is because the extension management has been changed in OO 3.0. When you install an ext, the extension manager asks you if you want to make available the extension only to the current user or to all the users: in the first case, the extension is stored under "My macros", in the second case it's stored under "OpenOffice macros".
Probably you chose to make the extension available to all the users.
Cheers,
cobo
Thanks for pointing out
Thanks for pointing out this, I haven't tried installing extensions in OO 3 from scratch yet.
Cheers,
cobo.
Enhancement
Hello,
I use some keys to naviguate into form dialogbox
Tab = go to next field
Shift + Tab = go to previous field
Enter = validate the record
If I press Enter in the last field, the record is validate but I don't go to a new one.
I press Enter again and it work!
Done
Hi,
Tab and Shift tab were already working as you say.
Hitting return didn't, but now I should have fixed it.. Since version 0.3.0 you can validate a record by single-hitting Return.
Cheers,
cobo
Thanks
Thank you for the improvement suggestion.
I'll check it as soon as possible.
Cheers,
cobo
How i use this extension
Hi !
I upload this estension on Open Office .
How i use it ?
Thank you !
Carpe Diem !
Usage
In Calc, create a table with at least one row and the headline, for example:
Name | Surname | Cellphone
John | Smith | 1234455
Then, click on any cell of the table, and go to Data - Form. That's it.
A form should appear letting you insert other records, or edit-delete the old ones.
Cheers,
cobo
Form does not appear :-(
try to use it as decribed, but unfortunally nothing happens. Wether I mark the whole range of have the cursor in a cell in first or second row....
Also using OOo 3.0 (OOO300M9 build:9358), running on WinXP
Gottfried
try disable-enable the extension
Hi!
DataForm didn´t work after restarting Calc for me. But I got it to work by doing this:
1 Disable DataForm
2 Restart Calc
3 Enable DataForm
4 Restart Calc
Thanks a lot for this useful extension!
Lars
Restart OpenOffice
You should try restarting OpenOffice. Remember to close the Quickstarter too.
Cheers,
cobo
DataForm 0.9.0
Hi Cobo,
It would seem that you are the person to ask.
I have pulled my hair out (whats left of it) trying to get this extension to work, however no matter what I do, I cannot get the DataForm to open up the form at all! HELP!!!!
I think this is a great extension, if I could only get it to work...
I am Using Win 7 RC with OOo3.1.0, extension revision 0.9.0
I thought it was an incompatability with Win 7, until I also tried the same on a WinXP SP3 system..
I am at a loss as to what to do.... I have tried all of the above fixes, but to no avail, removed and reinstalled the extension, disabled, re-enabled etc etc..
Please help, I am now convinced that I have gone wrong somewhere..
Many Thanks in advance
emanjackson
:-(