hboy

Q: The numbers app keeps forgetting the scrolling position

I have a very frustrating problem with the latest version (2.6) of the Numbers app for iPhone. As soon as I close down any of my spreadsheets to open another one the app seems to forget the scrolling position so that when I re-open the original spreadsheet I am taken to the top of it although I want to be taken back to where I was (i.e. normally at the bottom of it).

 

Does anyone know if there is a way to solve this problem? Or if there is a quick way to get to the bottom of a spreadsheet (I know that a tap on the status bar takes me to the TOP of a spreadsheet but I don't know of any action that does the opposite - i.e. takes me to the BOTTOM, which would be very useful since that is normally where I enter new data.)

 

Details:

1) I operate several spreadsheets and some of them have grown rather big - i.e. they have come to contain many rows. And I keep adding rows at the bottom. The biggest spreadsheet now contains over 6000 rows. And since I upgraded to version 2.6 I am constantly taken to the top of the document every time I re-open it after having closed it to open another spreadsheet. It takes me about ONE MINUTE to scroll all the way down to the last row of the document after which I want to add my new data. Big pain. Almost unusable.

 

2) Before version 2.6 this was not a problem. The app would nicely remember the scrolling position.

 

3) My system:

iPhone 5S with iOS 9.0.2

Available memory: 6,5 GB

Numbers 2.6

 

I would be very thankful for any help!

Posted on Oct 20, 2015 2:00 PM

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Q: The numbers app keeps forgetting the scrolling position

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  • by SGIII,

    SGIII SGIII Oct 20, 2015 2:10 PM in response to hboy
    Level 6 (10,691 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 20, 2015 2:10 PM in response to hboy

    Hi hboy,

     

    Unless/until they restore the "remember last position", then on the iPad you might consider keeping a specific value somewhere in your last row and Wrench > Find that when you need to go to the end.

     

    Recommend giving feedback to Apple at http://www.apple.com/feedback/numbers_ios.html.

     

    SG

  • by hboy,

    hboy hboy Oct 21, 2015 7:39 AM in response to SGIII
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Oct 21, 2015 7:39 AM in response to SGIII

    Thanks SG. I have now reported this forgetfulness to Apple on the page you suggested.

  • by t quinn,

    t quinn t quinn Oct 25, 2015 9:02 AM in response to SGIII
    Level 5 (5,041 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 25, 2015 9:02 AM in response to SGIII

    Hi SG,

     

    I like this so much I added an extra column with this formula:

    =IF(ROW(cell)=COUNTA($A)+1,"Last Row","")

    Column A will always have a value in it. The "+1" adjusts for a single header row. Footer rows are ignored.

    I used "Last Row" here for clarity but would substitute something shorter and unique.

     

    Hi hboy,

     

    My experience with forms is that they are remembering my place even when I have edited and saved the doc on my mac. They are my preferred method of data entry in iOS. My main table is less than 400 lines so that could make a difference.

     

    quinn

  • by hboy,

    hboy hboy Oct 27, 2015 6:21 AM in response to t quinn
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Oct 27, 2015 6:21 AM in response to t quinn

    Hi quinn,

     

    It used to be my experience as well that the forms would remember my place. For all previous version I believe. But that "feature" disappeared when I upgraded to the last version (2.6) of Numbers for iPhone.

     

    Now I am taken to the top of the document every time I re-open a form. For the longest of my forms (that contains over 6000 rows) this has become a SHOW-STOPPER. I have stopped updating it since it is just to much work to repeatedly having to scroll down to the bottom of the form for new entries. It is about one minute of intense finger gymnastics. If I am really quick...

     

    Some more details:

    1) By "closing" a form I mean returning to the file view (i.e. the view where I see all my Number files). That is when the position seems to be forgotten so that when I re-open the file I am taken to the top. On the other hand if I close the whole numbers app with the form still open the problem does NOT occur. Then the position will nicely be remembered when I return to the Numbers app.

     

    2) By "top" of document I actually don't row 1 but somewhere near the top of the document. For example: My longest form contains 6908 rows. When I close that with the cursor at row 6908 I will be taken back to row 43 when I re-open it. For another sheet with 795 rows I will be taken back to row 50. And for a third sheet with 130 rows I will be taken back to 63. The problem is stable. It happens every time with every sheet.

     

    3) I am only using Numbers on my iPhone, i.e. never on my Mac and never on my iPad.

     

    /H

     

    P.S. Another irritating - and slightly similar - thing that has emerged with the upgrade to 2.6 is that the viewing position is forgotten when one rotates the phone (from landscape to portrait or vice versa). The rotation will take you to the position of the CURSOR which might be very different from the VIEWING position. This is not a show-stopper but still annoying.

  • by t quinn,

    t quinn t quinn Oct 27, 2015 7:57 AM in response to hboy
    Level 5 (5,041 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 27, 2015 7:57 AM in response to hboy

    Hi hboy,

     

    Your 2) and other references make me wonder if we are talking about the same thing when we say "forms". For me the cursor is only visible in forms when I am entering data into a specific cell via a form. Your descriptions fit better, in my mind, if you were saying "table" rather than "form". "scroll down to the bottom of the form" When I have to navigate to the last screen of a form I hold the arrow down and after a bit the screens fly by ten at a time. This may not help with 6000+ rows but your use of "scrolling" is confusing if you are referring to a form.

     

    I am wondering if it is a RAM issue. I realize one of the changes I made is upgrading to the new iPod with twice as much RAM. My experience is that forms memory never survived the translation back and forth to the Mac. This could have been a software issue. Forms always remembered its place otherwise.

    With my smaller table that might be enough to make a difference. With the older iPod I found that I had better results if I used the "Done" button frequently. This really made a difference.

     

    Other things I did to liberate Ram:

    Keep at least 1 GB of memory free. Looks like you have this covered.

    I simplified my formulas, adding more index columns. This may have helped the processor more than the RAM.

     

    You might try reinstalling Numbers. Your experience with the smaller tables just seems glitchy.

     

    You may be pushing the hardware with your 7000 row table.

     

    Have you tried SG's suggestion using Find? I really like my formula calling out "Last Row". "lr" doesn't show up in my table so I use that.

     

    quinn

  • by hboy,

    hboy hboy Nov 10, 2015 6:47 AM in response to t quinn
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Nov 10, 2015 6:47 AM in response to t quinn

    Hi quinn,

     

    Thanks for advice. Here some replies:

     

    1) Forms or tables or sheets?

    I am a bit uncertain about the correct terms in English since I am using a Swedish speaking version of Numbers. And maybe I was mistaken when I used the term "form". What I have been talking about the whole time, irrespective of whether I have used the term "document" or "form" or "spreadsheet", is the standard Numbers sheet containing CELLS ordered in columns (marked A B C...) and rows (marked 1 2 3...). I think I will stick to the term spreadsheet hoping that will be clear.

     

    2) Numbers on iPhone

    I am using Numbers on my iPhone only. Never on my Mac or iPad. So when I scroll I do not press any arrow but swipe repeatedly with my finger. And I cannot use "find" since that is not supported on the iPhone (I believe...)

     

    3) Pushing hardware with 7000 rows?

    I actually don't consider 7000 rows particularly much. Compare it with Excel that I believe can manage over a million rows. (According to https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070601071135AA9SDCN )

  • by hboy,Solvedanswer

    hboy hboy Nov 10, 2015 6:51 AM in response to hboy
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Nov 10, 2015 6:51 AM in response to hboy

    WORK-AROUND FOUND!

     

    Hi All,

     

    I have now found a work-around for this bug that makes it bearable to live with.

     

    It seems that the scrolling position is properly saved when closing to open another sheet in the SAME document. If the document is closed from that other sheet the scrolling position in the original sheet will still be remembered.

     

    In other words: the bug only affects the CURRENTLY OPEN spreadsheet and NOT other spreadsheets in the same document.

     

    So, in the case of my 7000-row sheet I simply created a second "dummy" spreadsheet containing no information in the same document. And every time I need to close the document I make sure to remember to switch to this second spreadsheet first. When I then re-open the document and switch back to my 7000-row sheet I am right back where I want to be. No need for one minute of intense finger gymnastics! Irritating but no longer a show-stopper.

     

    Hope that helps someone.

     

    BTW:

    I have been contacted by Apple regarding this bug so a fix is hopefully on its way.

  • by t quinn,Helpful

    t quinn t quinn Nov 10, 2015 9:29 AM in response to hboy
    Level 5 (5,041 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 10, 2015 9:29 AM in response to hboy

    Hi hboy,

     

    Regarding documents, sheets, tables and forms.

    A document is a seperate file. In excel it is called a spreadsheet.

    A sheet has its own tab and can contain many tables, textboxes and other elements. I have a sheet for an invoice that has all of these. In excel a sheet is a single table.

    "the standard Numbers sheet containing CELLS ordered in columns (marked A B C...) and rows (marked 1 2 3...)" what you are describing here is a table.

    A form is a view of a table where the table is presented with a row on an entire screen. Here is a screenshot of a form from one of my tables:

    Pasted Graphic.png

    and here is the table it is based on:

     

    Unknown.png

    To make a form you would tap the "+" below the "<" in the portrait view and select "New Form" and then choose a table to base it on. You may like this method of data entry and it does remember where I have last entered data.

     

    I think SG's suggestion above is also a good one. Yes, you do have a find function on your iPhone. You can access it by tapping the wrench icon (circled in red, above). Put "lr" or something unique in your footer row. If you are not using find for anything else it will take you there with tree taps.

     

    Glad you found something that works for you. To create your blank sheet you were right where you needed to be to create a form.

     

     

    quinn

  • by hboy,

    hboy hboy Nov 10, 2015 9:30 AM in response to t quinn
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Nov 10, 2015 9:30 AM in response to t quinn

    Thanks Quinn, that's very helpful!

  • by SGIII,

    SGIII SGIII Nov 10, 2015 10:06 AM in response to hboy
    Level 6 (10,691 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 10, 2015 10:06 AM in response to hboy

    Good to know a fix is on the way.

     

    A quick clarification for Excel users who may be reading this thread and become a little confused by the descriptions above.

     

    A "workbook" in Excel is analogous to a document or "spreadsheet" in Numbers.

     

    A "worksheet" or "sheet" in Excel is like a "sheet" in Numbers.  Tabs on the bottom in Excel; tabs on the top in Numbers.

     

    Unlike Excel, a Numbers sheet does not directly contain cells. It is a canvas on which tables (and other objects such as text boxes, charts, and images) may be placed.

     

    Both Excel and Numbers have tables.  But in Numbers a cell is always in a table.  In Excel a cell may be either directly on a sheet or within a table on the sheet.

     

    SG

  • by t quinn,

    t quinn t quinn Nov 10, 2015 3:09 PM in response to SGIII
    Level 5 (5,041 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 10, 2015 3:09 PM in response to SGIII

    Hi SG,

     

    Thanks for clearing that up. I shouldn't really talk about excel.

     

    quinn

  • by SGIII,

    SGIII SGIII Nov 10, 2015 4:41 PM in response to t quinn
    Level 6 (10,691 points)
    Mac OS X
    Nov 10, 2015 4:41 PM in response to t quinn

    Hi quinn,

     

    Actually, I think when you've seen one spreadsheet you've seen them all!  Just a few potentially confusing differences in terminology and interface, that's all.  You already know more about Excel than you ever thought!

     

    SG

  • by hboy,

    hboy hboy Nov 14, 2015 3:41 AM in response to hboy
    Level 1 (15 points)
    Nov 14, 2015 3:41 AM in response to hboy

    BUG FIXED!

     

     

    This bug has now been fixed by Apple. I just upgraded my Numbers app to version 2.6.1 and the problem is gone. Thanks Apple!

     

     

    (However, the other irritating feature I mentioned above - the one that makes the view jump to the currently active cell when one rotates the iPhone from landscape to portrait mode or vice versa - is still there. It MIGHT be an intentional feature but I hate it! A rotation should show me the same place in a different perspective NOT jump to somewhere else in the document so I will have to scroll back to where I was - which might be a minute of finger work!)