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

• US 7,143,338 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bauchot, Frederic, Harari, Albert
• Primary Examiner(s): Herndon, Heather R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HILLERY, NATHAN
• Application Number:
  US09/812,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20010032214A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,080 Days
• Field of Search: 715/503, 715/504, 715/530, 715/538
• US Class Current: 715/212
• 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. A 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 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 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;

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 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 the content of each cell stored in the buffer to corresponding cells within the destination cell range.

3. A computer readable medium comprising instructions which when executed, perform the method according to claim 1.

2. A system adapted for carrying out the 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 comprising a plurality of cells identified by addresses or names, comprising:

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

means for storing in a working buffer the content of each cell that belongs to said source cell range;

means for 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;

means for 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;

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

means for replacing 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; and

means for copying the content of each cell stored in the buffer to corresponding cells within the destination cell range.

4. A 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 comprising a plurality of cells identified by addresses or names, said method comprising the steps of:

copying a first cell found in a memory clipboard within a working buffer in memory;

parsing content of the memory working buffer;

performing a test to detect, while parsing, if any absolute reference is found within the content of the memory working buffer;

if any absolute reference is found, then;

performing a test on the absolute reference found to determine if the absolute reference points to a cell which is part of a cell range which has been cut or copied to the memory clipboard;

if yes, updating the content of the memory working buffer to change the absolute reference identified so that it points within a pasted range to a cell whose relative position within the pasted range matches the relative position of the original absolute reference within the source cell range;

copying the content of the memory working buffer within the pasted cell range at the cell location matching the relative position of the last cell copied from the clipboard to the memory working buffer when an entire content of the memory working buffer has been parsed and all potential absolute references pointing within the source cell range have been updated.