Method and system in an electronic spreadsheet for comparing series of cells

• US 20020023106A1
• Filed: 04/19/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bauchot, Frederic, Mauduit, Daniel, Sirot, Benoit
• Granted Patent: US 7,146,561 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/503
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of information processing by digital computers, and more particularly to a method and system, in an electronic spreadsheet, for comparing two series of cells, a series of cells comprising one or a plurality of cell range, a cell range comprising one or a plurality of cells. The method of comparing two series of cells comprises the steps of:

defining a boolean attribute, said boolean attribute having a first and a second value;

assigning the first value of said boolean attribute to each cell of a first series of cells;

assigning the second value of said boolean attribute to each cell of a second series of cells;

determining in a first operation whether all the cells of said first series of cells share the same first value of said boolean attribute, or share the same second value of said boolean attribute or do not share a same single value of said boolean attribute;

assigning the first value of said boolean attribute to each cell of the first series of cells;

determining in a second operation whether all the cells of the second series of cells share the same first value of said boolean attribute, or share the same second value of said boolean attribute or do not share a same single value of said boolean attribute;

determining whether the first series and the second series are the same or are disjoined or overlap, or are included one into the other by comparing results of the first operation and the second operation:

if all the cells of the first series share the same first value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series share the same second value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the first series and the second series are disjoined;

if all the cells of the first series share the same second value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series share the same first value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the first series and the second series are the same;

if all the cells of the first series share the same second value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series do not share the same single value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the first series is included in the second series;

if all the cells of the first series do not share the same single value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series share the same first value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the second series is included in the second series;

if all the cells of the first series do not share the same single value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series do not share the same single value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the first series and the second series overlap.

Claims

1. A method of comparing two series of cells in a multi dimensional spreadsheet comprising a plurality of cells identified by a cell address along each dimension, a series of cells comprising one or a plurality of cell range, a cell range comprising one or a plurality of cells, said method comprising the steps of:

defining a boolean attribute, said boolean attribute having a first and a second value;

assigning the first value of said boolean attribute to each cell of a first series of cells;

assigning the second value of said boolean attribute to each cell of a second series of cells;

determining in a first operation whether all the cells of said first series of cells share the same first value of said boolean attribute, or share the same second value of said boolean attribute or do not share a same single value of said boolean attribute;

assigning the first value of said boolean attribute to each cell of the first series of cells;

determining in a second operation whether all the cells of the second series of cells share the same first value of said boolean attribute, or share the same second value of said boolean attribute or do not share a same single value of said boolean attribute;

determining whether the first series and the second series are the same or not by comparing results of the first operation and the second operation;

if all the cells of the first series share the same second value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series share the same first value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the first series and the second series are the same.

2. The method according to the preceding claim wherein the step of determining whether the first series and the second series are the same or not comprises the further step of determining whether the first series and the second series are disjoined or not by comparing the results of the first operation and the second operation:

if all the cells of the first series share the same first value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series share the same second value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the first series and the second series are disjoined.

3. The method according to the preceding claim wherein the step of determining whether the first series and the second series are the same or not, comprises the further step of determining whether the first series and the second series overlap or not by comparing the results of the first operation and the second operation:

if all the cells of the first series do not share the same single value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series do not share the same single value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the first series and the second series overlap.

4. The method according to the preceding claim wherein the step of determining whether the first series and the second series are the same or not, comprises the further step of determining whether the first series and the second series are included one in the other or not by comparing the results of the first operation and the second operation:

if all the cells of the first series share the same second value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series do not share the same single value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the first series is included in the second series;

if all the cells of the first series do not share the same single value of said boolean attribute in said first operation and if all the cells of the second series share the same first value of said boolean attribute in said second operation, the second series is included in the second series.

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said boolean attribute is temporary.

6. A system comprising means adapted for carrying out the method according to any one of the preceding claims.

7. A computer readable medium comprising instructions adapted for carrying out the method according to claims 1 to 5.