alternative to Drag and Drop for "identity" copying cells?

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Level 1

74 points

alternative to Drag and Drop for "identity" copying cells?

hi all.

right now when i want an "identity copy" of a single cell i do an equation where i enter the equals size and i click in the cell i need. this maintains a link with the original cell.

right now i need multiple cells (like five in a row) to get "identity copied" to a set of five new destination cells.

is there a way to do this so that i don't have to /drag/ the origination selection all the way down my spreadsheet or is this the only way to do it?

i have about 800 rows to travel and i have to do this about thirty times and it is going to get really tiresome.

i tried copy paste but it just entered five cells with "0.00" for some reason likely having to do with it being a copy of the format of the cell but not the actual content...

TIA for any advice or terms or search words etc

MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Nov 6, 2013 1:26 PM

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Answer 1

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Nov 6, 2013 1:35 PM in response to hotwheels22

oh cripes. drag and drop actually /moves/ the files.

ok.

so surely there is a method that will let me copy the information contained in a set of live cells in a way that does require me to enter "=Cell_X" hundreds and hundreds of times.

i have about twenty five sections with five cells in each section that need to be copied and this would be a lot of manual work with a very great possibility of my screwing something up.

can anyone help me with a search term (and hopefully not tell me this cannot be done...)

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Answer 2

Nov 6, 2013 1:43 PM in response to hotwheels22

HW,

It is time for you to download the manual and read the material in chapter six.

http://support.apple.com/manuals/#productivitysoftware

This manual is still usaeble for understanding how to select cell, reference cells and copy and paste. If is free and downloadable AND you can search it-- if you know the terms to search. It is a valuable tool.

when they are contiguous in both the source and destination, you can select the one, then copy, then select the grounp and paste.

In this example there are two tables:

1) a source table

2) s destination table

in the destination table highlight cell A1 then type the "=" (equal sign) :

now click the cell in the source table (A1):

Now hit the return key. Select cell A1, copy. Now select the whole table (or the group of cells you want to reference in the Source table). In this example select all. To select all use the menu item "Edit > Select All":

Now paste:

If you only wanted to reference A1, A3, B4, B6, and B8 you would enter the formula in any cell you want-- I choose A1. Then you select A1, copy, then hold the command key then click those cells, then paste:

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Answer 3

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Nov 6, 2013 1:52 PM in response to Wayne Contello

hi wayne. i am getting tripped up here with the pick order and the logic somehow.

can we just say that i want to copy the updateable /contents/ of your two cells - cell 1 and cell A - in the source in the top row in your first image and i wanted to paste it as an active piece of information in the destination in the same place on the right?

1. click in the first /destination/ cell on the left and enter "=" ?

2. click in the cell 1?

3. i am confused here. i hit enter or do i hit shift or control to do a multiple select? i have tried all sorts of combinations and i am not getting this correct for some reason...

THANK

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Answer 4

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Nov 6, 2013 2:01 PM in response to Wayne Contello

here is one thing i have tried:

we have cell 1 and cell A in source and cell 1 and cell A in destination.

1. select DESTINATION cell 1 and enter = so that the equation box shows up

2. select SOURCE cell 1 and /multiple/ select so that the selection included SOURCE cell A.

3. CTRL + C

4. click back in DESTINATION cell 1 and /multiple/ select so that the selection includes DESTINATION cell B.

5. CTRL + V

6. result is all 0.00 entries in both cells when there was data in the Source cells.

i think i have a pickorder or the logic wrong here somehow...

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Answer 5

Nov 6, 2013 2:31 PM in response to hotwheels22

HW,

cells are name using coordinates (a row and a column). we specify which cell to select by saying the column first, then the row.

I the example I posted I asked you to select cell A1-- that is... the cell at the intersection of column A row 1.

you should say to yourself when entering formulas (as you type the equal sign):

"This cell equals"

the select the combination of cells that combine through what ever mathematical (or formulaic) operations.

Your formula is about the simplest there is. "This cell equals this other cell"

to do this:

1) type the equal sign in the destinartion cell

2) click the source cell

3) hit enter

That's it

to fill that same formula into other cells reselect the destination cell (the one you just entered the formula in , then copy

now select another cell(s), paste

to select contiguous cell(s) click the starting cell, the hold the shift key while clicking the last cell

to select non-contiguous cells click the first cell, the hold the command key while click the other cells you wish to add to the selection

once the cells are selected paste

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Answer 6

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Nov 6, 2013 2:39 PM in response to Wayne Contello

i think we are close. it is possible however that numbers cannot do what i need it to do and if so this would be a big problem. again if you can not ask for my posts to be deleted this would help a great deal as it is not obvious to me that you understand what i am trying to ask - which i know is entirely my fault - however, having the opportunity to post a different question on the same issue may help me solve this.

having it censored/deleted based upon some assumption is a problem for me. anyway, i hope that makes sense.

in this case. i am trying to COPY multiple cells which are continguous and PASTE them into a set of similarly contiguous cells so that the destination updates with the origination.

take cells in row 1 cell 1A though 1K and paste them into row 1000 cell 1A through 1K.

i am trying to do this with a multiple selection and a multiple paste so that i don't have to do each individual cell 1A > 1000A, 1B > 1000B etcetera because i have hundreds of these and i want to do them five or six at a time.

right now all my experiments result in incorrect results...

THANK YOU

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Answer 7

Nov 6, 2013 2:41 PM in response to Wayne Contello

Notice how the row and column headers are highlighted:

Cell C3 is selected:

Cell F7 is selected:

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Answer 8

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Nov 6, 2013 2:44 PM in response to Wayne Contello

hi wayne. thanks for the link to the manual. i already have it downloaded to my desktop but knowing the link is helpful if i can't find it.

i am not seeing anything in chapter 6 however that answers this question and it is possible i am asking it entirely wrong or that there is some aspect of Tables that i don't understand.

hopefully the question is clearer now and/or i can find a search term for the issue i am trying to ask.

the post that was deleted involved trying to ask if there was a Edit > Paste /Linked/ Values since Edit > Paste Values is the closest term i have found for what i need. however, for some reason i am getting the idea that you cannot do this very easily.

anyway, i am trying to multiply select cells and multiply paste them so that the values are LINKED and not simply "Values".

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Answer 9

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Nov 6, 2013 2:46 PM in response to Wayne Contello

right. i need 3 A-F to paste into 7 A-F as LINKED values.

not "pasted values" and not simply doing each of these one by one with the = sign.

i am needing multiple pasted VALUES - does that question make sense?

if not, can you help me understand what does not make sense?

THANKS

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Answer 10

Nov 6, 2013 2:57 PM in response to hotwheels22

HW,

I think what you want is called ABSOLUTE REFERENCING. Normally when you copy a cell, then paste somewhere else the spreadheet program modifies the references based on the offset between the source and the destination.

if you want to the group of references to always to refer to the EXACT same cells regardless of where they are pasted then you need absolute references

In this case here is a single Source table and two destination tables:

In the table "Destination 1" select cell A1 and type the "=", then click cell A1 in the table Source

NOW.... click the menu for the cell reference (down facing arrow in the tagged reference on the right) and select absolute row and column). you can do the same thing by tying a "$" before the row and before the column. This will be a pain to copy and paste becuase it will not adjust the first time so we would have to type each address out.

There is another way:

so the formula is:

A1=INDIRECT(ADDRESS(ROW(), COLUMN(), 1,1, "Source"))

now select A1, then select A1 thu B9, paste

now selelect A1 through B9 in the table Destination 2, now paste

mow try changing a value in the source table.

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Answer 11

Nov 6, 2013 3:01 PM in response to hotwheels22

HW,

you are talking about within the same table?

so you mean this:

select cell C7

type "=" then click A3

hit the enter key

now select C7 again, how click and hold on the little circle at the bottom right coner of the selected cell and drag to the right as needed (this fills the formula across)

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Answer 12

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Nov 6, 2013 3:29 PM in response to Wayne Contello

hi wayne. ok, so i tried this once and got it right and then tried about nine more times and finally got it right one more time.

so correct me if i am wrong here please so i am sure i can repeat it.

1. click in destination cell # 1 and enter " = "

2. click in the /first/ of the origination cells and click "Return"

3. this drops you down to the cell that is below the fist destination cell #1.

4. click /back/ in the destination cell #1 and pull the white dot to the right for the number of cells you want "live copied".

5. hit Return or click off the currently selected cells.

have i got it?

THANK YOU

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Answer 13

Nov 6, 2013 3:44 PM in response to hotwheels22

HW,

1) click the destination cell (A7)

2) type "="

3) click cell A3

4) type enter

5) select cell A7

6) grab (click and hold) the little circle at the bottom right corner of the selected cell, then drag to the right as needed

7) release the mouse button

that's it

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Answer 14

hotwheels22 Author

Level 1

74 points

Nov 6, 2013 3:48 PM in response to Wayne Contello

hi wayne.

thanks for hanging in there. i have it working now.

however, i just tested it by adding a sum to the origination cells and it does not update in the destination.

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Answer 15

Nov 6, 2013 3:59 PM in response to hotwheels22

post a screenshot in this forum. If you have screenshot image, click the camera icon in the toolbar of this forum, then navigate to, and select, that image

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