Setting an active spreadsheet provides a method of avoiding multiple
data updates to the server when more than one spreadsheet is open within GenStat.
When a spreadsheet is set as the active spreadsheet only data from that spreadsheet
is automatically updated to the GenStat server. However, although data from all
the other open spreadsheets is not automatically updated they can still be manually
updated to the server using the Spread | Update menu items.
Any forced update of the server from a non-active spreadsheet window will be
recorded within the input log.
Note that any operation that involves the server from any spreadsheet window, e.g.
Calculations, will always update the server.
Another feature associated with an active sheet is that the Spread
menu becomes enabled when working in a non-spreadsheet window (i.e. text window or menu).
Thus, selecting any of the Spread menu items will then
apply to the active spreadsheet. Similarly, the spreadsheet toolbar will be enabled
in the same way.
When the active spreadsheet is changed from one spreadsheet to another there is
an option to clear all the data from the server excluding the data in the active
spreadsheet. This is useful to ensure that the only data present within the server
is from the active spreadsheet. When an active sheet is closed all remaining open
spreadsheets will revert to their default behaviour of automatically updating the
server.
If a spreadsheet is set as active then this property will be stored when saving
a current session within a GenStat session (gsn) file. Therefore, when the
session file is opened in GenStat the spreadsheet will be automatically set as
an active spreadsheet.
How to set a spreadsheet to be the active sheet
- Select the Spread | Set as Active Sheet menu item.
This toggles the active status of a spreadsheet. If a spreadsheet is set as the
active spreadsheet this menu item will be selected.
- The active spreadsheet button
on the toolbar works in the same way as the
Spread | Set as Active Sheet menu item. This button will be depressed if the current spreadsheet is set as
the active spreadsheet.
- Selecting a spreadsheet name from a drop down list of open spreadsheets on
the active spreadsheet toolbar. The active spreadsheet toolbar can be displayed
by either right-clicking on any toolbar and selecting Active
Spreadsheet from the pop-up menu. Alternatively, the toolbar can be displayed
using the Customize Toolbar dialog
available on the Tools menu.
- Selecting the Set as Active Sheet option on
dialogs that create new spreadsheets. For example, this option is available
on the dialog from creating a new blank spreadsheet.
The Windows dialog also has a
Set as Active Sheet option that allows the
selected spreadsheet to be set as the active spreadsheet. Similarly, if
an active spreadsheet is selected in the window list there is a
Clear Active Sheet option to remove this
property from a spreadsheet.
- If the active spreadsheet toolbar is displayed, then an item from the drop-down
combo box can be selected as shown below.
How is the status of an active spreadsheet displayed?
- The spreadsheet icon at the top left of a spreadsheet has the cells of the icon
displayed in green rather than the default white.
- The spreadsheet window title starts with "Active Spreadsheet".
- The window name in the status bar starts with "Active Spreadsheet".
- The auto-update GenStat button on the bottom left of the spreadsheet
window is disabled for all other non-active sheets.
- If the active spreadsheet toolbar is displayed, this will display the
current active spreadsheet as shown below.
Active spreadsheet and multi-paged books
When an active spreadsheet is set in a book with multiple sheets, then the
tab belonging to active sheet is displayed in green as shown below
If you attempt to set another tab to the active spreadsheet within a book
containing the current active spreadsheet, then you will be prompted before
this action is performed. If you respond with No, then no change to the
active spreadsheet will be made, and focus will be set to the current active spreadsheet.
Locating the active spreadsheet
If the current window is not a spreadsheet window, then clicking on the
active spreadsheet button
in the spreadsheet toolbar will give focus to the active spreadsheet window.
Also dropping down the active spreadsheet toolbar list and selecting the
current active spreadsheet will give the active spreadsheet focus.
See Also