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Google Spreadsheets Updates Report abuse

Christine
Google Employee
10/23/09
Hello,

We have rolled out new Google Spreadsheets release. Notable new features:

* We've added support for mobile List view for Palm Pre. Learn more about List view at http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=139561

* Google Translate now offers another option for using the GoogleTranslate function. You can now put only one parameter and we'll detect the language and translate it for you into the default language setting of your spreadsheet. If you'd like to specify your own language to translate to or the language of the source text, you can still do that too. Learn more about GoogleTranslate() and DetectLanguage() at http://docs.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=162725

* We have also made a few changes to our toolbar and menus to make them look (and feel) more consistent with menus in Google Docs and Google Presentations. These small changes are a start, stay tuned for more updates!

Bug fixes:

Fixed: Logic branching in Forms does not work if it follows 'Grid' question

Fixed: Wrong days highlighted in the drop-down calendar if week starts on Monday

Fixed: Formulas that refer to blank cells return error when exported to .xls

Fixed: SUMPRODUCT function works incorrectly when non-numeric values are present

Thanks!

Christine

All replies

ahab
Level 4
Google Docs Guru
10/23/09
"Fixed: Wrong days highlighted in the drop-down calendar if week starts on Monday"
Christine,
The type  ( Sunday or Monday 1st day of the week) of the drop down calendar still is based on the user's overall language setting in Google Docs, not the locale setting of the spreadsheet. This is an inconsistency, and can lead to confusion about some calculations e.g. about in which week of the year a certain date is. 

Please connect the type ( Sunday or Monday 1st day of the week) of drop-down calendar to the locale set for a spreadsheet (just like the GoogleTranslate function translates to the language associated with the locale set for a spreadsheet).
 
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Gill
Top Contributor
Google Docs Guru
10/23/09
Or, better, allow us to set which day we want the week to start on please.
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ahab
Level 4
Google Docs Guru
10/23/09
"allow us to set which day we want the week to start on please."
Which day a week starts on is already defined by the locale set for the spreadsheet. The DatePicker should just reflect the locale. 
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ahab
Level 4
Google Docs Guru
10/23/09
Christine,
I would also like to re-iterate the following problems with the DatePicker in Google Docs spreadsheets:
- the DatePicker should not appear when a cell contains a formula - computed dates should not be changed by the user, so the DatePicker has no use for such cells.
- the DatePicker should appear when a cell does not contain a formula but is formatted as a date and still is blank.

It might worth it to consider to tie the DatePicker to the Data Validation feature, also because DataValidation does allow to set some limits to the date input; these could be reflected in the DatePicker, e.g. by limiting - in the DataPicker interface -  the range of dates the user would be able to choose from.


Personally I would value it when the team would consider creating interactive functions like a DatePicker spreadsheet function (which would allow the user to dynamically set the limits and exceptions on the dates to choose from) and a ListPicker function (again with control by means of parameters) which would bring the much needed drop down list feature to Google Docs.

I envision such interactive functions as having a mini-gadget interface which is invoked when the user would select or edit a cell; the functions itself could be used in a formula like any other function, e.g.
=GoogleDatePicker( start_date ; end_date ; exception_dates_list )
and
=GoogleListPicker( item_list ; allow_not_listed items_input )  

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edgo
Level 1
10/26/09
@ahab: The type  ( Sunday or Monday 1st day of the week) of the drop down calendar should be based on the user's overall language setting in Google Docs. At least als long the local setting of the spreadsheet is not available for countries such as Switzerland. We have to use work-around local settings for dates and decimal-points and this should not change the type of the week. (Local setting for Switzerland is really overdue, of course.)

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ahab
Level 4
Google Docs Guru
10/26/09
@edgo,
I totally agree about the need for locale settings of Google Docs spreadsheets for Switzerland (and a lot of other countries). And IMHO these should be added soonest.

But I totally disagree that the display of the DatePicker should be based on the overall language setting. This is as it is now and it leads to inconsistencies between a spreadsheet and the locale set for a spreadsheet.

E.g. when there is a spreadsheet in which the locale is set to United Kingdom, this is reflected in e.g. the default currency but also in the default date format (dd/mm/yyyy).
Not directly visible is that the locale setting also influences the week numbering and when a week starts (Monday) and ends (Sunday). Users of the spreadsheet should therefore see a date picker that reflects the locale setting of the spreadsheet and not the associated locale of their Google Docs language setting, to avoid confusion and even errors in date related computations.

    
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Gill
Top Contributor
Google Docs Guru
10/27/09
<<to avoid confusion and even errors in date related computations.>> That's why I want to be able to set it myself!
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zdumitru
Level 1
11/5/09
When will vetical merge be available?
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Ron Cohen
Level 1
11/5/09
A chart I published on my web site goes blank when I sign out from Google Docs.  I've had this chart on my site for over a year without a problem.  The blank-outs began a few days ago when I signed in and added some data to the spreadsheet.  Both Internet Explorer and Firefox are affected, but often there's a delay for Firefox.
 
To restore the display, I usually can just sign in again, but at times I have to re-publish the chart and/or the spreadsheet.  I clear my cache and cookies each time.
 
Another user reports the same problem with a chart, at http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Docs/thread?tid=1b1f51cbdd368653&hl=en.
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Prasad Jape
Level 1
11/7/09
Even, I am finding difficulties with charts. When I try to publish it or share it with the url. It gives me "Access Denied" at first (Though it gives the Title of Chart, which means it recognizes the Chart but failed to get the data/update). If I keep it for 10 - 15 Minutes. It is loading the Chart. Sometimes, it does not recognize and gives "We are Sorry" page.
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Y_Elias
Level 2
11/7/09
Can we please have the Equation Editor available in Spreadsheets?  Even if the equation is a floating image, I can find great use in this feature.
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jplum
Level 1
11/13/09
Have there been any updates to google excel or or docs in general that are more compatable with recent versions of excel or word... ie. keeps the same format when you upload a document???
 
I am having problems with excel like sometimes lines don't match up or a line disappears... can someone please help me???  I use this for work and it's killing me!
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sumit952
Level 1
11/15/09
hey i also want new version of orkut....
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Gill
Top Contributor
Google Docs Guru
11/16/09
<<Have there been any updates to google excel or or docs in general that are more compatable with recent versions of excel or word>> No. If there have been any new versions they are minor - any major updates will be announced on the forum I'm sure. Don't expect Gdocs to maintain all the formatting of Word or Excel any time soon though - it is not an Office clone.
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paramahmsa
Level 1
11/18/09
thankyou
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paramahmsa
Level 1
11/18/09
google
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