Method and system in an electronic spreadsheet for handling absolute references in a copy/cut and paste operation according to different modes

• US 20010032214A1
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bauchot, Frederic, Harari, Albert
• Granted Patent: US 7,143,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/503
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

In an electronic spreadsheet, if an absolute cell or absolute cell range reference does not comprise the same information in a source environment and in a destination environment, errors may occur. Therefore, a buffer is created for temporarily storing a source cell range. Any material in the buffer not needed, is cleared. Any absolute reference content remaining that points to a source cell range, has a relative position within the source cell range determined. Then, a corresponding absolute reference within the destination cell range is determined. Prior to copying the buffer content into corresponding cells within a destination cell range, each absolute reference pointing to a source is replaced by a corresponding absolute reference with the destination cell range.

Claims

1. Method for processing one or a plurality of absolute cell references or cell range references during a copy/cut and paste operation in a multi dimensional spreadsheet (170) comprising a plurality of cells identified by addresses or names, said method comprising the steps of:

selecting a source cell range to cut and paste or to copy and paste into a destination cell range;

storing (403) in a working buffer the content of each cell that belongs to said source cell range;

clearing the content of each cell that belongs to a source cell range to cut;

for each cell stored in the working buffer;

if the content of the stored cell comprises one or a plurality of absolute references pointing to a cell or a cell range belonging to the source cell range (405, 406);

determining for each of said cells or cell ranges pointed by an absolute reference and belonging to the source cell range, a relative position within the source cell range;

determining for each of said relative position within the source cell range, a corresponding absolute reference within the destination cell range;

replacing (407) within the stored cell, each absolute reference pointing to a cell or a cell range belonging to the source cell range by the corresponding absolute reference within the destination cell range;

copying (408) the content of each cell stored in the buffer to corresponding cells within the destination cell range.

2. A system comprising means adapted for carrying out the method according to the preceding claim.

3. A computer readable medium comprising instructions adapted for carrying out the method according to

claim 1

.