how do i share a value between to numbers spreadsheets

Csound1 wrote:

SGIII wrote:

References between cells in tables in different Numbers documents is not possible in formulas, whereas references between cells in different Excel workbooks is possible (though probably best avoided in most situations).

No reason to avoid it either. The system itself is old, well tried and tested. It is simple to name the cells that are linked making the method impervious to worksheet edits, or, as Excel can have multiple worksheets in one workbook you can do it on multiple sheets in the same file (document)

Does Numbers allow cell linking by name? or is it still stuck with by reference only?

If by "linking by name" you mean something akin to Excel's named range's, yes, Numbers does have that, within a document. Each row and each column in a Numbers table with a Header Row and a Header Column is in effect a named range.

On a computer not connected to the internet with only one user, then linking between workbooks can be useful. But those links are awfully easy to "break" by with different people moving things around, et.. That's why, given a choice, I'd organize things all in one workbook wherever practical.

SG

(@Charles, I think Csound was asking a good question here. There has been lots of confusion about whether Numbers has the equivalent of named ranges.)

SGIII wrote:

Csound1 wrote:

SGIII wrote:

References between cells in tables in different Numbers documents is not possible in formulas, whereas references between cells in different Excel workbooks is possible (though probably best avoided in most situations).

No reason to avoid it either. The system itself is old, well tried and tested. It is simple to name the cells that are linked making the method impervious to worksheet edits, or, as Excel can have multiple worksheets in one workbook you can do it on multiple sheets in the same file (document)

Does Numbers allow cell linking by name? or is it still stuck with by reference only?

If by "linking by name" you mean something akin to Excel's named range's, yes, Numbers does have that, within a document. Each row and each column in a Numbers table with a Header Row and a Header Column is in effect a named range.

On a computer not connected to the internet with only one user, then linking between workbooks can be useful. But those links are awfully easy to "break" by with different people moving things around, et.. That's why, given a choice, I'd organize things all in one workbook wherever practical.

SG

(@Charles, I think Csound was asking a good question here. There has been lots of confusion about whether Numbers has the equivalent of named ranges.)

I was asking whether Numbers can name a single cell rather than rely on the row and column reference? When Excel works with named cells and ranges it does not matter if users move things around, as long as the name does not change the cell can be anywhere (even in another file altogether). It's a powerful feature.

On sheets etc I don't see any clear advantage either way, Numbers can have multiple sheets in a single file,so can Excel, Numbers can have multiple tables as can Excel, the nomenclature may differ but the features are effectively the same. I think Excel is better at remote data sorting, but I doubt that Numbers was intended for the multi source multi user environment anyhow. Named ranges and the ability to selectively display the sheets you want to ae strong features, ones that I would like to see in Numbers (all this is within the Libre Office toolbox as well)

charles.christian14 wrote:

I Did go back and read th OP, and it is vague. Some people refer to spreadsheets as different documents and others don't.

It was and is not a matter of labelling. If you have 2 sheets and they have different filenames they are different documents, if the 2 sheets have the same filename they are not different documents. This is exactly the same behavior as Excel, LibreOffice, Open Office and Neo Office.

SGIII wrote:

It's a little like an American trying to understand, say, Australian!🙂 It seems like the same language, but there are enough little differences to cause misunderstanding.

Churchill summed it up best when he said that England and America are 2 nations divided by a common language.

gh

And you are being extremely disrespectful to the OP by bringing your personal issue with me into his thread. One of your posts has already been removed to the benefit of the thread, are you aiming to make it two?

Take your problem to a new thread, one you are the OP in. Threadjacking another is tacky.

And what on earth does Windows have to do with this?

charles.christian14 wrote:

gh

Change your mind about that one did you?

charles.christian14 wrote:

SG,

I always value your opinions, but I think that Csound1 is just complaining that Numbers doesn't work the way that he/she would like it to work; he/she wants it to work similar to Libre Office or Excel. We can not change the way that Numbers operates; as members of this forum we are trying to help others understand and learn how to use Numbers in the ways that it does function.

I personally would love to never use another Windows product, and is the main reason I made the switch to Mac back in 2010. I wish Apple would make a product that could compete with Excel, but it hasn't so far, and complaining on this forum will not yield that result. That is what I am saying. No disrespect to you, but this person is just complaining and has yet to offer any insight to the original post.

Yes

Csound1 wrote:

charles.christian14 wrote:

I Did go back and read th OP, and it is vague. Some people refer to spreadsheets as different documents and others don't.

It was and is not a matter of labelling. If you have 2 sheets and they have different filenames they are different documents, if the 2 sheets have the same filename they are not different documents. This is exactly the same behavior as Excel, LibreOffice, Open Office and Neo Office.

I think that may be spreading the confusion! A sheet, in Numbers or Excel, is like a tab within a document. A sheet doesn't have a filename. A Numbers "spreadsheet" (because of the inevitable confusion I prefer the term document) does have a filename.

SG

No, Excel is very clear, a collection of sheets is a workbook, a single sheet is a worksheet. there are no tabs on a sheet, but sheets appear as tabs in a workbook. All Excel worksheets can contain tables, tables can contain data or references to external data. All of these types can be contained in a single file or a set of independent files, with or without cell linking.

Excel has had 25 years of constant development, it has not been in vain.

Csound1 wrote:

I was asking whether Numbers can name a single cell rather than rely on the row and column reference? When Excel works with named cells and ranges it does not matter if users move things around, as long as the name does not change the cell can be anywhere (even in another file altogether). It's a powerful feature.

Yes, in Numbers you can create a named constant simply by setting up a two-row table, where the first row is defined as a Header Row.

You can refer to the value in row 2 of that table by entering the "label" you put in the header row, whether or not you have selected the 'Use header names as labels' in Numbers > Preferences.

The cell has to be in the same document, though.

SG

Csound1 wrote:

No, Excel is very clear, a collection of sheets is a workbook, a single sheet is a worksheet. there are no tabs on a sheet, but sheets appear as tabs in a workbook. All Excel worksheets can contain tables, tables can contain data or references to external data. All of these types can be contained in a single file or a set of independent files, with or without cell linking.

Excel has had 25 years of constant development, it has not been in vain.

Basically it's the same in Numbers, well organized, with easy references between tables and sheets within a document, but unlike Excel no formula references between documents (spreadsheets). The tabs for Numbers 3 sheets are on top; in Excel the tabs on the bottom.

It's too bad the concept of tables didn't exist back in the early days of Excel so they would be more central to its design. Tables are much easier to use in Numbers and can float anywhere on the canvas rather than be stuck in a grid.

SG

Thanks.

You can have any number of Tables on an Excel sheet, hundreds if you're crazy enough. 🙂 in my workflow a new venue starts with about 8 tables on a single sheet, then morphs into a multi sheet workbook as ancillary and reporting sheets are added. Excel can operate like Numbers, or Excel, or both at the same time. That's as it should be, it costs a lot more and has a massive user base, all complaining about something 😎

SGIII wrote:

It's too bad the concept of tables didn't exist back in the early days of Excel so they would be more central to its design. Tables are much easier to use in Numbers and can float anywhere on the canvas rather than be stuck in a grid.

SG

The concept of tables existed before Excel, Viscalc was the first (30 years ago)