Adding Spreadsheets or Tables to layout page
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I regularly add tables to my LayOut projects. These start out as CSV files that have more data than I need so I open them in Excel and delete the unneeded stuff and rearrange what's left to suit. Then I copy and paste into a Word document for final formatting. I convert from table to text to get rid of the cells. I save that as an RTF file which I can then import into LO. If I make changes to the RTF file later, I can update the reference in LO.
As TIG says, you do have to manually update though.
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Copy/paste from Excel seems to work decently well, not always perfectly. The table will go awry if I try to edit it within LayOut.
Anssi
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If you're like me and don't want to buy MS Office and you find that tables aren't copy pasting to Layout very well, you can copy paste them to a notepad document, align the tabs, then copy paste into Layout.
You then just draw some lines in Layout to give it the table look.Obviously leave this till the end of your project so you don't have to keep manually updating.
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Old thread, but I'm just dealing with the same issue now, trying to get spec block tables into my Layout drawings. Thanks, Dave R, for the Excel-to-Word-to-RTF method. That works pretty well, except are you getting border formatting to translate? No matter what I set them to in Word (thick lines, thin lines, no lines, double lines, dashed lines) Layout outlines every cell with the same thin solid black line.
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I have a similar problem in some CAD software I use, hence I take a screencapture of the spreadsheet (noted, generally these are not really big) and insert it into the software as a JPG.
From the above it seems like live updating / auto updating is not required, as such the above method should work here too?
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@mcmillancabinet said:
Old thread, but I'm just dealing with the same issue now, trying to get spec block tables into my Layout drawings. Thanks, Dave R, for the Excel-to-Word-to-RTF method. That works pretty well, except are you getting border formatting to translate? No matter what I set them to in Word (thick lines, thin lines, no lines, double lines, dashed lines) Layout outlines every cell with the same thin solid black line.
David, I don't think cell formatting is saved as part of the RTF file so it doesn't surprise me that you aren't seeing it. I don't ever want borders on the tables I put in to LO. this image shows a typical table as I use them. Sorry it's difficult to read. It's the only thing I've got access to at the moment.
Juju, I guess a screen shot works but I wouldn't use it due to the low resolution especially with a JPG.
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@dave r said:
Juju, I guess a screen shot works but I wouldn't use it due to the low resolution especially with a JPG.
That is true to an extent, I guess it helps a little working on HD screens...
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I think I would just print Excel to pdf and insert the pdf.
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Peter, that works well if you're using a Mac. On PC, not so much.
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What happens on a PC?
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No PDF import option.
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FastStone Capture allows screen clips to be saved at whatever resolution that you want. I use it every day.
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I generate PDF from libre office, and then open it in inkscape, where I can save as PNG. At 200-300 DPI. Yes, layout PC needs PDF import badly!!!
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I just did a quick check then with Excel and Layout
not sure if this is a capability new to Layout 2015 but
Copy and paste from excel to LO worked fine - editable table in a text box
Also trying a way I always use via powerpoint to keep the formatting and colours of Excel
1] select range in excel
2] paste as image in powerpoint
3] copy that image from powerpoint
4] pasting into layout - quick and pretty spreadsheethope that helps
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In a PC you can use the snipping tool and save the image as a .jpg
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Have just been doing some tables from excel to Layout - they copied and pasted quite nicely so long as I didn't try and edit them in Layout - it seems Layout reads them better than it did a few versions back when I tried this and consistently got tabs jumping all over the place.
TL;DR: Try copy pasting from your spreadsheet to Layout first - could save you some time.
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Hi,
I have been looking at the Excel table into LO thing (or lack of in the PC version). Here is my offering:
Create your table in Excel with cell widths, heights, font size and formulas. Make sure that any editable data can be copied and pasted as a block (for convenience).
Format a matching area in the spreadsheet as a swap area.
Select the entire table, copy and paste into LO. The table comes in as an editable text block with cells bordered in black lines.
Make any changes to data in individual cells. Note, no formulas are copied just the numbers.
Double click in the text box which will select all cell data.
Copy and then paste back into the Excel sheet but in the formatted swap area.
Select the data to be changed and paste into the original table position.
The formula results will update.
Start back at the beginning! Re-copy the updated table and double click in the LO text box, paste.Not perfect but seems to work. Basically it is a way of re-calculating a table using Excel and not having to do it manually.
Brian
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