I have a file with a weekly task list (5 separate rows of tasks each day). Each week is M-F. Is it possible for me to create a second file that automatically populates with all the tasks in the first file but with the week starting Tu (running Tu, Wed, Th, F, Mon)?
Numbers doesn't allow formulas to reference data in another file. The only thing that you can do here is create another table (possibly on another sheet) in the same file. Otherwise you can achieve what you want with programming, for example with Applescript.
Can you manually create small accurate examples of the source and destination tables that you're using and post their image here? It will make us better understand how complex the task really is. Beside just shifting the lines, is there anything else to it?
Make a screen capture with Shift-command-5 and attach here with this icon at the bottom of the text window.
I don't think I wrote that very clearly! I am attaching a screen shot of the file (this is in Google docs, but I can obviously move it to numbers). It's school assignments per day for a homeschool co-op I volunteer at. Half of the families are in class on mondays and wednesdays (do school at home on tues, thurs) and the other half are in school tues, thurs (home mon, wed). Fridays are the same for everyone. The families that do tues & thurs at school are called blue and the syllabus has their "week" starting on Tuesday and ending on the next Monday. Is it possible for me to create another sheet or calendar that would easily populate the attached sheet's information into a M-Th? That is, The "blue" families schedule would start with the "1st co-op day" on a Tuesday, and the "2nd Home day" would populate on the next Monday. Can it be done using the calendar dates?
So this is a coarse example of what you want to do, right?
As you can see the Blue table's first date is the the Red table's + 1.
It is not absolutely necessary but normally I like to get progressions by adding 1 to the previous value. This way you only have to change the first date (or get it by formula) and all others adjust.
Do this to Tue to Fri in the Red table.
Same in the Blue table, except that to get Monday you have to add 3 instead. I don't know how you want to deal with holidays though.
For the other cells in the Blue table you just do a straight copy from the Red table. Type = and click on the corresponding cell in the other table. Once the first cell has its formula grab the yellow circle at the bottom or the side of the cell and drag to copy the formula.
Once this is done you can keep both tables on the same sheet, or you can cut the Blue table and paste in on another sheet, links will follow.
You don't have to work hard to make two nice tables. Prepare the Red one to perfection then make a copy of it by right-clicking on the donut at the top-left of the table and select copy and paste. Then make the minimum changes in the Blue one.
Populate calendar automatically with columns of data
