Re: [office-formula] display position?

[Patrick Durusau <patrick@durusau.net>]

Eike,

Eike Rathke wrote:
> Hi Patrick,
>
> On Saturday, 2010-01-23 12:41:20 -0500, Patrick Durusau wrote:
>
>   
>> Just curious, what is meant by "display position"?
>>
>>     
>>>         1.
>>>
>>>             Storing a non-scalar result in a matrix is controlled by a
>>>             few rules.
>>>
>>>               1.
>>>
>>>                   If the display position exists in the source data
>>>                   use the source.
>>>
>>>               2.
>>>
>>>                   If the source data is 1 column wide the display
>>>                   position uses the value in the 1st column. This
>>>                   applies to
>>>                   - scalars '3'
>>>                   - singletons '{3}'
>>>                   - column vectors '{1|2|3}'
>>>
>>>               3.
>>>
>>>                   If the source data is 1 row high all the display
>>>                   position uses the value in the 1st row. This applies to
>>>                   - scalars '3'
>>>                   - singletons '{3}'
>>>                   - row vectors '{1;2;3}'
>>>
>>>       
>> It occurs these three times and no where else in the draft.
>>
>> I am assuming it is a reference to the existence of a location in a  
>> matrix for the storage of a value that is part of a matrix result but  
>> why call it "display position?" Is there some significance to that?
>>     
>
> In a spreadsheet, the result of an array/matrix formula is (or may be)
> spread over several matrix cells. The array elements are displayed in
> cells, with a position offset corresponding to the offset in the array.
>
> If the array to be displayed is a single element or a vector, the
> element respectively vector is repeated, e.g. a 1 row by 3 columns
> vector is repeated if the cell matrix displaying it is more than 1 row
> high.
>
> Now, it would be easy to say we are not concerned with spreadsheet
> displays, but this logic is also applied if a vector is used in
> a context where a larger matrix is expected (of same width or height as
> the vector), then the corresponding element of the same column/row is
> used. We may find another expression than "display position", but what
> name would satisfy both uses?
>
>   
I don't have a good suggestion to replace "display position" but take 
for example its use in

>               1.
>
>                   If the display position exists in the source data
>                   use the source.
>
What does that mean?

Does it mean to create a position in the storage matrix that is the same 
as the source?

I think it would be clearer, whatever term we use, to describe where 
data is to be stored and that it can also be displayed if requested, is 
simply one of the many things that can happen.

Hope you are having a great evening!

Patrick

-- 
Patrick Durusau
patrick@durusau.net
Chair, V1 - US TAG to JTC 1/SC 34
Convener, JTC 1/SC 34/WG 3 (Topic Maps)
Editor, OpenDocument Format TC (OASIS), Project Editor ISO/IEC 26300
Co-Editor, ISO/IEC 13250-1, 13250-5 (Topic Maps)