[Bug 160072] Inconsistent handling of objects on Calc sheets with select all (Delete, clear contents, copy-paste)

[bugzilla-daemon at bugs.documentfoundation.org]

https://bugs.documentfoundation.org/show_bug.cgi?id=160072

--- Comment #2 from jollytall <jollytall at freemail.hu> ---
Thanks,

As I look more and more into it, it gets even more confusing. Cells can have a
lot of elements attached to and they are handled all differently with Del, Cut,
Paste and Fill

What     Cut              Del           Clear          Paste             Fill
                                        (default)      (onto it)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cell     Removed          Removed       Removed        Overwritten       Smart
overwritten
(text or number)                                       (even if source empty)
Format   Removed          Left          Left           Overwritten      
Overwritten
Formula  Removed          Removed       Removed        Overwritten       Smart
overwritten
Comments Removed          Removed       Removed        OW only if        Not
touched        
                                                       source has comment
                                                       otherwise leave
                                                       even when cell changes
Objects  Removed          Left          Left           Left and copied   Left
                                                       on top of it

As it can be seen, there are no two identical rows. This to me is still
considered inconsistent.
Del and the default value of Clear is the same, while it would be logic that
the two work differently (at least when the default is used). It worth
mentioning that "Delete" and "Clear" are used somewhat synonyms. The pop-up
menu that can be activated through right-mouse and "CLEAR Contents..." has a
title "DELETE Contents". Also, although it is true that "options are
remembered" as you say, it is only true until the program is closed. It is not
stored neither as a program setting (as e.g. Paste Special options are stored),
nor as a file related setting (like e.g. the last active sheet/cell).

Whatever the best approach is, I think it should be consistent. As an easy
recommendation I would say that there should be a clear definition what are
core elements of a cell and what are not. Core elements should always go with
the cell, when a cell is deleted, copied, pasted, filled, etc., while non-core
elements should not be touched unless they are selected specially.
In this approach my personal approach would be that value, formula, format and
also comment(!) should definitely be linked to a cell. Objects are a bit more
tricky, but I would also include those and so those would also be deleted with
Del, but also with Paste if the object is linked to the target cell (for this
it would be good to see somehow what cell is an object linked to). However if
the developers think different elements to be "core" to a cell, it would be
fine, as long as it is consistent.

A bit more complicated solution would be to have a "Select Special..." like
"Paste Special..." and "Clear Contents..."  and thus the user could decide what
to pick-up for Delete, Cut and Paste.

Also on the target of a paste I would differentiate if a target cell is
selected or not. If on the target sheet the target area (a part of the sheet or
even Ctrl-A) is selected then it should be cleared (again clear all elements
that are considered core to the cell - with or without the objects as discussed
above) and then paste should take place. If the target area is not selected
(paste is done relative to the active target cell), then only those cells
should be overwritten where the source has a cell with at least one core
element (but then again All core elements of the target cell should go, before
the paste). This way it could not happen that a cell is changed totally (value,
formula, format), but the old comment stays.

And last, - it might be another improvement request, if you agree, but I do not
want to spam the database, - it would be nice to have in the Options -
Load/Save a setting set what to save in the document and what to save with the
system. As said above, Clear Content options are not saved at all, while Paste
Special options are saved with the main Calc, so when in one document once I do
a Paste Spacial with Transpose, then a week later in a totally different
project it is still there.

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