TM1 Forum

Server: x64 TM1 9.4 FP2
Client: TM1 9.4 MR1

Excel reports using SUBNM for element selection in a merged cell forces the user to have to hit "ENTER" after element selection.

This does not cause any problems in websheets.

I'm pretty sure this didn't happen in 9.1??

Could someone confirm please.

jed wrote:Server: x64 TM1 9.4 FP2
Client: TM1 9.4 MR1

Excel reports using SUBNM for element selection in a merged cell forces the user to have to hit "ENTER" after element selection.

This does not cause any problems in websheets.

I'm pretty sure this didn't happen in 9.1??

Could someone confirm please.

In 9.1 SP4 (9.1.40000.70 32 bit with Excel 2003), the problem didn't appear. In fact, using a SubNm with a merged cell offered a benefit.

When using a SubNm with a standard, unmerged cell, the cursor moves to the right. As I've previously noted in this forum, I regard that as being a daft piece of design given that SubNms are typically arranged vertically.

Good design would be either for the cursor to move down, or better still move in the direction specified in Excel's preferences so that it moves at the user's discretion. However I have no intention of bashing my head against a wall and waste my time by writing a time and motion case to Iboglix's salespersons to convince them of the blindingly obvious.

When using SubNm with a merged cell, the cursor does not move. Not ideal, but better than having it flying off to the right.

The user is not required to press [Enter] to finalise the selction. When they press [Enter] after the selection they move in the direction specified in Excel's preferences, as with any other cell.

This appears to be the case no matter whether the cells are merged vertically, horizontally, or in clusters of multiple cells.

I don't have a 9.4 environment to check it on at the moment.

Note that these tests were done with the "Edit Directly In Cell" option unchecked; when it's checked, merged cells performed in the same way as unmerged ones did, and required the [Enter] key to be pressed to complete the element selection.

It appears I may have missed something in my testing of this...

When "Edit directly in cell" is unchecked this problem does not occur with merged cells.

So to clarify:
In 9.4 when you have a SUBNM formula in a merged cell and Edit directly in cell is checked the user is required to hit ENTER to confirm element selection.
In 9.4 when you have a SUBNM formula in a merged cell and Edit directly in cell is unchecked the user is NOT required to hit ENTER to confirm element selection.

I can't decide if this is a bug or not. The behaviour is different in 9.4 to other versions but I would have thought that the user should never need to hit ENTER to confirm selection regardless of whether Edit directly in cell is checked or unchecked.

jed wrote:It appears I may have missed something in my testing of this...

When "Edit directly in cell" is unchecked this problem does not occur with merged cells.

So to clarify:
In 9.4 when you have a SUBNM formula in a merged cell and Edit directly in cell is checked the user is required to hit ENTER to confirm element selection.
In 9.4 when you have a SUBNM formula in a merged cell and Edit directly in cell is unchecked the user is NOT required to hit ENTER to confirm element selection.

I can't decide if this is a bug or not. The behaviour is different in 9.4 to other versions but I would have thought that the user should never need to hit ENTER to confirm selection regardless of whether Edit directly in cell is checked or unchecked.

No, that's standard behaviour. Edit Directly in Cells borks the SubNm functionality (regardless of whether the cells are merged); always has, always will. It's an Excel issue, not a TM1 one.

That's why when you install you'll see a checkbox on one of the installation dialogs asking you whether you want to disable the Edit Directly In Cells functionality with a note that it's "Recommended".

The only thing that would be a bug would be if the user was required to hit [Enter] and Edit Directly In Cells was unchecked.

That, I can't confirm at the moment but I'd be surprised.

or better still move in the direction specified in Excel's preferences

I recall that that enhancement request, made by me some time around 2004, was one of the many prisoners released under the Cognos takeover amnesty. It languished in the "transferred to engineering" cell (not a merged one that one - but not exactly a place of solitary confinement either as it had about 75 other prisoners known personally to me for company who are all now free as birds as well)

I wouldn't waste your time trying to change things that they really don't care about (even if, as Alan says, the way it SHOULD work it's blindingly obvious)