Remove single empty column on 2nd page

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videobruce
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Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

This seems to be a continuous issue composing a single page spreadsheet. As with all the other times, I will have a number of columns set to fill only one page (purposely). What happens is there is one extra EMPTY column at appears on the 2nd page that I can't seem to get rid of.
I have tried deleting the 1st empty column to the right of the last active column, but that doesn't work. I have even tried to delete a block of columns, still nothing. The attachment shows the problem.

FYI; I start with a custom template. I did open up a fresh custom template, checked if the problem is there by filling in a single 'cell' with a letter and only that column shows. To be clear, this isn't when the active area (columns) dwon't fit on a single page and overflows to the next.
Attachments
Battery Pack Cordless Tools.ods
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videobruce
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

I'm running v4.15 Portable on Win7 if that matters.
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RoryOF
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by RoryOF »

Select the area you want and use /Format /Print ranges : Define.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

But why is there that extra column always created??

For the heck of it, I stared from scratch, open a custom default template. Entered a letter in the 1st 8 columns (A-H) , opened PrintPreview and all was fine (those fit).
I then entered a letter in the 9th column and PP showed that on page two as it should (but no empty column next to it. I deleted that text entry in column 'I' and re-opened PP all was still fine, bo empty column. :crazy:

But, that isn't reality, I always go over (at least in width), spilling into the 2nd page that I correct by either a smaller font size or narrowing up the columns to fit on a single page (if I can0. That's when the problem seems to happen. Thou I don't keep switching back & forth using PP to see what fits and what doesn't until I get the basic layout.
Last edited by videobruce on Sun May 12, 2019 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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RoryOF
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by RoryOF »

Because the default print range is set to include it? I selected the range needed, set the print ranges, and the empty column vanished.

Or just tell your printer in /File /Print to print only page 1
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

Yes, I see that, but I never set any custom page ranges initially. I didn't know you can and never thought of any need to before hand.
I looked under that setting and it was set to "none". (I never accessed that function)
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by RusselB »

When I use the print preview for the spreadsheet as uploaded, everything shows on 1 page, though some of the headings don't show completely, as they are too long for the width of the column that they are in.
Using Optimal Column Width, with 0.2 cm in the Add box, and Default value checked, for all columns, makes the spreadsheet go over to 2 pages, with the Notes column showing on the second page.
When there is no Print Range specified, Calc defaults to including all cells that contain entries and all empty cells that correspond with the row/column that contains the last entry.

If you want to (try) to put all of your data onto one sheet, rather than messing about with different font sizes, you could use the option available through File -> Page Preview -> Format Page -> Sheet (tab) -> Scale
and setting the Scaling Mode to Fit print range(s) on number of pages, and select 1 for Number of pages (the default)

There is a point where, no matter how small the scale, you will go over to multiple pages, but it's been a long time since I hit that amount of data that I wanted to try to print on one page.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

Hello neighbor (sort of) :D

Understood, but none of that is the issue here.
Did you open my attachment and see what I mean? The program is adding a empty column for no reason. Frankly, I think it may be due to resizing existing columns (the attachment shows what I mean, none of those are default widths), even thou the end result (active columns) does not spill over on a 2nd page.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by RusselB »

As I said, when I opened the file you attached, then went to Print Preview, with no other changes, the preview looked fine and only one page.
I did not see the extra empty column that you are mentioning
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by RoryOF »

Ah! Then the extra column on the second page may be because of default Page sizes. I use A4, which is 8,25 inches wide; the template may have been based on US Letter (8.5 inches wide) - the difference in width is sufficiet to push a column over the page.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

RusselB;
My bad, too many things going on, I misread that.
Interesting that the 1st reply acknowledged that there was that extra column showing. I don't know why yours doesn't show that extra column. What O/S are you running?

Two things I did forgot to add were;
my page margins which are less than the default .79" which is excessive AFAIC &
I run 118% text size due to having a 1200 resolution monitor. The next standard size up (125%) is too large for desktop size icon size and 100% makes small text too small to read.
Last edited by videobruce on Mon May 13, 2019 9:29 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

RoryOF wrote:Ah! Then the extra column on the second page may be because of default Page sizes. I use A4, which is 8,25 inches wide; the template may have been based on US Letter (8.5 inches wide) - the difference in width is sufficiet to push a column over the page.
Immaterial since the fact there still is a EMPTY column created that shouldn't be there and it can't be removed which is the other issue (which makes NO sense)!
I can 'fit' that column on one page by resizing other columns, that unwanted column moves to fit on one page.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by RoryOF »

I was able to remove that unwanted column by defining the print range, as I earlier pointed out.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

Understood, but I shouldn't have to!

This sounds as a bug.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by keme »

I don't get that extra column immediately from the downloaded file. However, if I make column I only a tiny bit narrower, the extra column jumps up. Looks like it is the text in I7 which spills over. Tested with versions 4.1.5 and 4.1.6 on Windows 10.
  • Do you see a tiny dash printed at left edge of row 7 on page 2?
  • What happens if you widen column I slightly?
If it helps to widen the column, and you get that tiny dash, you may need an upgrade. There may have been a bug causing this in version 4.1.3 (which I assume is what "4.13" in your signature is meant to indicate).
Sorry! I missed your post about using 4.1.5 portable. Portable versions may not be as tightly coupled with your system, in which case printer limitations and alternate fonts spacing/sizes are not handled well. Should not make a difference, but it would not be the first time that something is not as it should be. Where did you get that portable app from? (redirected from Apache OpenOffice page to "portableapps.com", or did you find it somewhere else?
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

It should of come from PortableApps, but I don't remember.
But that still doesn't explain why an additional blank/empty column is being created!! None of any of that has to do with size, width, spacing or margins.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by RusselB »

I tried the uploaded file with all of my systems, Windows XP, Windows 7 Home, Windows 7 Ultimate and on my Android tablet.
Both OpenOffice 4.1.6 and LibreOffice 6.0.6.2 on the Windows systems and AndrOpenOffice on the tablet. I got the same results as I mentioned earlier on all of these.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

Well, not here.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by RusselB »

You have received multiple suggestions as to how to handle the extra column, even though two of us (at least) did not see the extra column from the sheet you uploaded.
If you are seeing the problem and we aren't, we can't tell you why it's happening, since it's not happening for us, thus the cause of the extra column must be on your system...and the fact that you stated that you didn't have this come up with a new spreadsheet indicates that the problem is specific to a setting for that spreadsheet.

Since a new spreadsheet doesn't have the problem, I'm going to suggest you try opening a new spreadsheet using File -> New, then use Insert -> Sheet from file to insert the sheet(s) from the file that's causing problems to the new file.
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Re: Remove single empty column on 2nd page

Post by videobruce »

I already considered doing so. I'll try and see what happens.
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