DBCS function and others in section 2.1.3 Large Group

[Eike Rathke <erack@sun.com>]

Hi,

another one:

| TODO: Currently the list above includes functions “hidden” in Excel that
| perhaps should be removed: DBSC, HYPGEOMVERT, MNORMSINV, PHONETIC,
| USDOLLAR.

We got a request to support the DBCS (note that it's not DBSC, which
seems to be a typo in our document) function, which in Japanese Excel
versions is named JIS, and the complementary ASC function (despite that
they aren't related to JIS <-> ASCII text encoding conversion, as the
names may suggest). Both seem to be actively used in Japanese
environments. But might also do different things in other
localizations.. See also
http://www.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=70213

As for HYPGEOMVERT: this seems to be a typo/copy&paste error, the
function is called HYPGEOMDIST, hypergeometric distribution, and is not
hidden. HYPGEOMVERT is the German localized function name (Verteilung ==
distribution).

MNORMSINV is a typo, the function name is NORMSINV instead. Was probably
copied from http://sc.openoffice.org/excelfileformat.pdf ;-)

As for PHONETIC I agree that it isn't too important and most probably
will work for English language only anyway.

USDOLLAR is a bit different. In a German localized Excel version it is
named DM, but of course now doesn't return the old Deutsche Mark as
currency, but the new Euro instead. Actually it depends on the locale
(regional setting) you're working with, I currently get Japanese Yen
because I tried the JIS function before.. This function is quite
nonsense, as it yields different results that when taken seriously are
even different amounts of money when the same document is loaded in
different locales, or even in the same locale after some time has passed
and currency changed..

  Eike

-- 
Automatic string conversions considered dangerous. They are the GOTO statements
of spreadsheets.  --Robert Weir on the OpenDocument formula subcommittee's list.