Re: [office-formula] Semantics

["Tomas Mecir" <mecirt@gmail.com>]

On 3/1/06, Eike Rathke <erack@sun.com> wrote:
> Not only. It's not even defined _when_ to convert a string, let alone
> how.

Well, converting when the function wants a numeric argument, sounds
like a good start :)

> Sure. That's why using locale dependent strings as parameters is ugly
> and a NoNo in professional spreadsheet design.

So, by the same logic, it would be okay to allow ="3"+3, and let the
user handle the complexity of not allowing locale-specific stuff ? Or
do you propose that we separate out a list of functions which will be
allowed to convert texts to numbers, and everything else would fail
when given a text where number is expected ?

Another problem here is that complex number arithmetics will not be
possible to be made simple - "1+3i" * "4+8i" would not work, and we'd
be stuck with excel-style complex functions ...

/ Tomas