Snit
On 4/2/17, 9:12 PM, in article z9b003gaew.hy@rooftop.invalid, "owl" <owl@rooftop.invalid>wrote:

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owl
You don't have to turn it on at all. That's just to have the data in one table update automatically from changes in another table. If you don't need that, the just move your mouse to the target table and type "@" or enter some data into any cell. The external data will then be automatically calculated.

Snit
But you cannot have BOTH editing of tables and auto-updating.

And to go back and forth you have to change settings. This is what I am talking about when I note it is kludgy.

I mean, really, tables should just have the data flow. For older spreadsheets, like back in the Apple IIe days, you had to say update -- but now it just happens.

owl
It does update automatically, if you're *in* that sheet.

Snit
But only in that table, right?

owl
And remember, this is something that you said is not even possible with Numbers -- updating a sheet with data from a completely separate file.

Snit
Well, this whole thing is a work around to try to emulate what Numbers does easily... have multiple tables all on one sheet

Think of it this way, if you were sent a file by someone and did not really know what it did, would YOU be willing to change its permissions and run it?

I suspect not... at least not anywhere other than in a safe environment where if it wiped out the machine (or VM) it would not matter to you.

owl
The user needn't notice that it's multiple files.

Snit
Even the user making it?

owl
Picture this as the application that the user runs to make the file. In this case it's just operating on one that's already built, but the principal is the same.

Snit
And if the user wants another table or to edit things?

It again goes back to having a computer as a single-device tool or a general-purpose tool.

Do not get me wrong, with what you are doing for folks who are willing to focus a whole lot on the tool they can reasonably easily switch from what single task (or fairly limited set of tasks) the computer is doing to another. But do you see where this is not how most people work?

If so that is very different than what I am picturing. Even for the end user I think they likely would if you did not have embedded xterms in other windows and the like. Which, sure, you can do. Maybe we found a reason for it ... to get around limitations of sc. :)

owl
Let me know when Numbers can handle a similar task of linking separate files with automatic updates.

Snit
It has the tables in one file...