Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

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Klaas Vaak
Posts: 37
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 5:56 pm

Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by Klaas Vaak »

I have checked the box for this setting, but each time I refresh a pivot table the formatting is lost. As you can see, I am on a Mac, but in 2019 I had the same issue in the Linux version https://forum.softmaker.com/viewtopic.php?t=18330.

So, it seems this issue has not been addressed in the past 3 years. Is there any chance it will? It is an annoying issue as I use pivot tables a lot.
SuperTech
SoftMaker Team
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Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2020 5:31 pm

Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by SuperTech »

Thanks for reporting this problem. Please send us the sample file in which you are getting this issue with a screenshot and steps for the settings which is not saving.

If your file is private, you can send it on forum[at]softmaker.de with the link of this post.
Klaas Vaak
Posts: 37
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 5:56 pm

Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by Klaas Vaak »

This is the exact same reply I got 3 years ago, and nothing was done about it. I am quite sure you guys are aware of the problem, you probably have dozens of files from people who reported this.

Planmaker is a good piece of software, very useful, but I am dismayed at the fact that an issue that was reported 3 years ago was simply ignored and that I just get the same standard reply.
SuperTech
SoftMaker Team
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Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by SuperTech »

We can understand your disappointment, but multiple problems which are looking similar at user level can have different technical root cause.

So, please, as requested, share your problematic file with steps and screenshots so that we can further investigate this problem.
Klaas Vaak
Posts: 37
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 5:56 pm

Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by Klaas Vaak »

I am sorry, but I cannot send the file for privacy reasons.

This is an old issue, I am sure you guys are aware of it and know what is causing the problem, but you have your reasons not to address it, apparently it is the same with Microsoft's Excel. OK, that a pity but such is life, so I will have to live with it.
SuperTech
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Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by SuperTech »

If you are unable to share the file, you can create a sample file without any private data or just remove your private data from the file and share it so that we can check it.
stascheit
Posts: 73
Joined: Fri Nov 09, 2018 11:34 am

Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by stascheit »

@Klaas
Concerning my experience with SoftMaker, I am sure that the developers are addressing this issue, if they have a description of the file to investigate.

I could see that sven-l, who answered your request three years ago as part of the SoftMaker team, is no longer active in the forum since 2019. So maybe he has left the team and the request with your sample file did not reach the developers at that time.
Klaas Vaak
Posts: 37
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 5:56 pm

Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by Klaas Vaak »

@Stascheit thanks for your reply. 2 days ago I sent a test file to forum[at]softmaker.de.
I hope they received it and will deal with it. It has been outstanding for a long time; in fact, even Excel seemed to have had (or still has) this same problem.
SuperTech
SoftMaker Team
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Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by SuperTech »

Thanks for sharing the sample file, but I am unable to reproduce this problem as I changed the format of the pivot data to number format without decimal, added new data in data sheet and then refreshed the pivot table, and it retained the set format without any undesired changes.

To achieve this, please follow these steps:
1. Click on the pivot table.
2. Now in the sidebar, Values items, click on the down arrow of item "Sum of cost".
3. Select the last option, "Value settings".
4. Click on the tab "Show values as" and then button "Number format".
5. Now from this "Number format" dialog box select number and make "Decimal places" zero.
6. To save this setting, click on OK twice.

After this you can add new values in the data sheet and the pivot settings will not change on refreshing the data.

I have attached here the screen recording of these steps for your reference, without any display of your confidential data. I am also sending you the updated file in your email, please check it. Please feel free to contact us for any further assistance.
Pivot data field update.gif
Klaas Vaak
Posts: 37
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 5:56 pm

Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by Klaas Vaak »

@Supertech: holy smoke, this is awesome!!! Yes, it works! Yay! thank you so much.

But there is one thing I don't understand: in Pivot table Settings, tabLayout, there is an option Preserve cell formatting. What does this option do?

In the manual, it only states this about it:
Preserve cell formatting: If this option is disabled, the formatting you have made in the pivot table (e.g. using a different font) will be discarded as soon as you update the pivot table or reopen the workbook. If the option is enabled, formatting changes are retained.
It mentions font as an example, but formatting also includes Numbers, so this options seems to be the only one.

Should there not be a note next to the Preserve cell formatting option that outlines exactly those 6 steps you gave me?

The lack of cell formatting preservation in a pivot table is an enormous irritant - I have seen others' comments about it in relation to other apps. LibreOffice, which was my default app, also lacks it despite people asking for it for years, and it bugged the hell out of me. Planmaker is a beautiful app, so much more pleasant to work with that I switched to it, but had to suffer the perceived lack of the preservation; I swallowed it as a “price” for using Planmaker, which I made into my default app.

Anyhow, enough of my rant. I am so grateful to you, and want to thank you!!
SuperTech
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Re: Pivot table cell formatting not preserved

Post by SuperTech »

I am glad that your problem is resolved. Yes, option "Preserve cell formatting" is specifically for character formatting and not for the number formatting.

This is already mentioned in our user manual for PlanMaker under :arrow: Value settings (Values area)

"You can use the Number format button in the tab to permanently adjust the display of the desired number format. For details on the various number formats, see the List of all number formats."
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