User profile for user: Bardonicloud
Bardonicloud Author
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Hidden Rows or Columns -- Hiding and Unhiding doesn't place Chart back in the same place

I am having trouble with Numbers and wonder if I would have had the same issue in Excel, (been a while since I used it)? Excel does have: "Don’t move or size with cells." Is there something similar in Numbers?


I can't seem to be able to use hidden rows (or columns) and then hide/unhide them (to check values) without my charts just to the right of the hidden rows (or columns) moving but not going back into place when I re-"hide" the rows.


If I immediately re-hide the rows after checking formulas in them everything goes back into place as expected. But if I need to edit some formulas in the once hidden and now revealed rows, when I go to re-"hide" the rows it doesn't bring the charts back up into their original position resulting in hours of re-positioning everything, I just don't understand why the re-"hide" can't bring the charts back to their original positions?


If I create a table and place all of these charts in it or would I still get the same issue?


I've spent a lot of time repositioning things but would prefer to be able to access the hidden formulas / values and edit them without having to keep reposition charts back up north to their original location.


Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks.




MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 13.0

Posted on May 12, 2023 10:41 AM

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User profile for user: Badunit
Badunit
User level: Level 7
31,132 points

Posted on May 13, 2023 5:10 AM

It does not seem to do a very good job anchoring a chart to a cell in a table if you hide/unhide rows/columns. It works pretty well if adding or deleting rows/columns, but not hiding/unhiding. I think they need to work on this. You can report this as a bug in Numbers->Provide Numbers Feedback. You may want to create a much smaller document for them, along with instructions on ho to make it fail, to demonstrate the problem if they ask for more information. You can probably demonstrate it with two small charts on a small table.


I suggested locking the charts so they would be locked in place on the sheet, ignoring the table underneath them. They would not be anchored to any cells. You stated that the problem was they moved around after hiding/unhiding rows and columns. This will keep them in the exact same place the entire time so they will be exactly where they were at the beginning when you are done hiding/unhiding rows and columns.


Your entire design is very Excel-like with one monolithic table with everything piled on top of it. Numbers is designed for multiple smaller tables and for tables and charts to be placed on the blank areas of the sheet, not overlapped (except for special reasons). Perhaps if you redesigned it so the charts were not placed on top of the table you keep messing with, it would solve the problem.


I don't know what you are doing with the colored cells next to the charts. If you move the charts off of the main table, you can put a small table next to each chart or next to each "column" of charts or even under all of the charts to make those colored boxes. But don't hide/unhide any rows or columns in those tables.

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User profile for user: Badunit
Badunit
User level: Level 7
31,132 points

May 13, 2023 5:10 AM in response to Bardonicloud

It does not seem to do a very good job anchoring a chart to a cell in a table if you hide/unhide rows/columns. It works pretty well if adding or deleting rows/columns, but not hiding/unhiding. I think they need to work on this. You can report this as a bug in Numbers->Provide Numbers Feedback. You may want to create a much smaller document for them, along with instructions on ho to make it fail, to demonstrate the problem if they ask for more information. You can probably demonstrate it with two small charts on a small table.


I suggested locking the charts so they would be locked in place on the sheet, ignoring the table underneath them. They would not be anchored to any cells. You stated that the problem was they moved around after hiding/unhiding rows and columns. This will keep them in the exact same place the entire time so they will be exactly where they were at the beginning when you are done hiding/unhiding rows and columns.


Your entire design is very Excel-like with one monolithic table with everything piled on top of it. Numbers is designed for multiple smaller tables and for tables and charts to be placed on the blank areas of the sheet, not overlapped (except for special reasons). Perhaps if you redesigned it so the charts were not placed on top of the table you keep messing with, it would solve the problem.


I don't know what you are doing with the colored cells next to the charts. If you move the charts off of the main table, you can put a small table next to each chart or next to each "column" of charts or even under all of the charts to make those colored boxes. But don't hide/unhide any rows or columns in those tables.

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User profile for user: Bardonicloud
Bardonicloud Author
User level: Level 1
51 points

May 13, 2023 2:09 AM in response to Badunit

Thanks @Badunit, I selected the top left big chart and locked it (ignore the smaller charts), then unhid Columns C and D but it's not locked the chart as it now overlaps onto Columns E and F. Also I have those min/max values red/green boxes next to the smaller charts which also wouldn't be covered with the "lock" feature.


Am I doing something that is beyond the capabilities of Apple Numbers as it occurs to that hiding and unhiding is a fairly common function for sheets with tables and charts?


Other than removing the hidden formulas and placing them right over to the far right of the sheet which is far from ideal, (the sheet goes to Column 'FG') as I need to check them, can you think of another work around?


Thanks very much.



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User profile for user: Bardonicloud
Bardonicloud Author
User level: Level 1
51 points

May 13, 2023 9:13 AM in response to Badunit

Right, thanks. Yes, it works very well with Row and Column deletion. I did report it as a bug referencing this post as I am really surprised this is a problem at all. A very time consuming problem that can only be resolved by moving the hidden formulas either to an inconvenient and far away part of the document or to a new sheet.


incidentally I've not referenced to one sheet to another intern of cell formulas. What would be the way to reference those hidden cells that have formulas so as to be able to use them in this current sheet, if I do put the hidden data in an adjoining sheet in my workbook?


Yes, if you unhide R's or C's but then happen to edit a cell in those hidden R's or C's, as soon as you re-hide, Numbers won't place the charts back in their original location, that only occurs if you use unhide and then re-hide straight away without any editing.


Re: Your second paragraph: Thanks for trying to figure a work around. I locked all 4 charts (with the Columns C and D already hidden) but I now can't edit anywhere and more importantly add fresh asset prices, change the dates, volatility percent etc in the top left blue section for inputs? So I guess that is what "lock" means!


"not overlapped (except for special reasons)" -- you mean my mixture of tables and charts I have all in one sheet?


So the same problem wouldn't occur using "multiple smaller tables and for tables and charts to be placed on the blank areas of the sheet" because they're not overlapping or encroaching on each other?


"if you redesigned it so the charts were not placed on top of the table." I see what you mean but that would be a whole redesign and I'm already months into the project...


The coloured cells next to the charts are to show min and max values so you can reset X and Y axis scales if the parameters entered in the very top left blue inputs section of the sheet are values that are very different to the current set of inputs. This is because you mentioned Numbers doesn't have this increment feature I posted about a long while back: Pls see B29/30/31 increments in the image. Thanks for the tip about putting small tables in the Columns next to each small chart.




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Hidden Rows or Columns -- Hiding and Unhiding doesn't place Chart back in the same place

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