Joined: Feb 12, 2005 Posts: 607 Location: Australia
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 6:44 am Post subject: OLE
I am working through editing the NeoOffice User Manual, and I am stumped currently on this one: Here is how the original OpenOffice.org manual described the process of linking a Calc chart into a Writer document
"Charts with Linked Data
If a chart depends on data in a Calc document and this data changes, a chart inserted by the above method is not automatically updated. To keep the chart and the data up-to-date, do as follows:
1.In the Calc document, copy the cell range from which the chart is created.
2.In the Writer document, select the Insert Object toolbar.
3.Select Insert OLE Object.
The data is now in a table in the Writer document and is always linked via OLE to the source data in the Calc document.
4.Position the cursor in the table.
5.Click the Insert Chart icon on the Standard toolbar"
Now I have tried and tried, but that just does not seem to work in anything like that way in NeoOffice. Step 3 does not lead to the result described. I'd love someone to tell me how they would go about that.
Joined: Apr 25, 2006 Posts: 2315 Location: Montpellier, France
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:20 am Post subject:
Step 3 brings up a dialog for me too, in NeoOffice 2.1 but also in OpenOffice.org/X11 2.1.
If I choose "NeoOffice 2.1 Spreadsheet", then I get a Calc-like sheet/table in the Writer document (with row and column headers). The headers disappear when I position the cursor outside of the table.
However if I position the cursor in the table again, both the "Insert Chart" toolbar button and "Insert > Chart" menu item are grayed-out ... ?
Joined: Jun 20, 2006 Posts: 2051 Location: Midwest, USA
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 7:54 am Post subject:
Having done a little bit with OLE (though never with charts), I played with this for a bit this morning, and I can't get anything to work, either.
I was about to suggest that someone check if this really works in OOo, but I see Samwise has done that.
My best guess is that the instructions in the guide are wrong. Even on first reading, they did not seem correct to me. For an OLE to keep updating, copying the data range makes no sense.
Some more fiddling, and I think I've got a work around
Create your data in Calc (preferably on sheet 1)
Create a Chart in Calc (preferably on sheet 1)
Save the Calc Document
Open/Create the Writer document
Insert>OLE,
choose the Object type (either Spreadsheet or Chart) and click "OK"
then choose "from file," and "linked"
then click on "search" to identify the file
When the OLE is inserted, double click inside and wait for the Calc Menus/Toolbars to appear
If your data and/or chart are on a sheet other than Sheet One, click on the correct sheet to pull it up in the frame.
Adjust the size of the OLE frame, and use the scroll bars on the frame to focus the frame on the chart.
Click outside of the OLE frame and wait for the Menus/toolbars, etc. to reset. Voilà ! Only the chart shows.
Edit: I was hoping that choosing the Chart OLE type would only pull up the chart, but that does not seem to work.
(Note that changing the size of the frame while in Writer mode--that is when the frame has the green squares along the frame lines for resizing--will distort the contents of the frame; this is why resizing/refocusing needs to be done in Calc "mode")
Unfortunately, when data is updated, the OLE frame will revert to the top left corner of Sheet One of the linked file, requiring you to reset the "focus" of the frame each time the data is updated.
Maybe there is a better way?
Me thinks I should add this to the "add to the wiki" list, too.
[Edited to correct "right" to "left" I'm afraid I can't tell the two apart sometimes!]
Last edited by Lorinda on Sat Apr 14, 2007 5:21 am; edited 1 time in total
It's a couple of years old, but the process looks to be about the same.
Thanks Lorinda. That seems to work. I have dumped what was there and replaced it with this:
Charts with Linked Data
If a chart depends on data in a Calc document and this data changes, a chart inserted by the above method is not automatically updated. To keep the chart and the data up-to-date, do as follows :
1.Create the chart so that it appears on first sheet of a Calc spreadsheet, filling it from top left.
2.Save and close the spreadsheet.
3.In your Writer document, go to Insert > Object > OLE Object, or select the OLE Object icon on the Insert Object toolbar.
4.In the dialogue, select Create From File; browse to the file saved in 2. above.
5.Check the box Link to file .. this will load the last saved version of sheet and show the chart. This is the critical step in making your link to your chart data.
6.Save and close the Writer document (otherwise you cannot update the linked spreadsheet).
7.Open the spreadsheet saved in 2 above; change the chart data and save the spreadsheet.
8.Open the Writer document; reply yes to the box which appears with "Update all links?" and the document will show the updated and saved chart.
9.Go back to the spreadsheet; change the chart data and save your spreadsheet.
10.Go back to Writer document, go to Edit > Links ... > Update, and your document will show the updated and saved chart when the screen is refreshed.
Joined: Jun 20, 2006 Posts: 2051 Location: Midwest, USA
Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2007 5:25 am Post subject:
Sounds good, Peter; I just have two comments:
1) When choosing Insert>OLE there is a preliminary dialog that has you choose the type, then you get to the one where you can choose "Create from file" and so forth
2) It is may be necessary to save the Writer document, but it is not necesary to close it in order for the OLE to update. Just choose Tools>Update>Links (or All) to update. I know because I didn't close the test Writer document I used yesterday until I was all done. I don't remember when in the process I saved it.
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