Paste from Calc to fill slide??

[KLund1]

I have to make a lot of slides each day from a Calc spreadsheet.
The spreadsheet is made up of 18 blocks of 4x8 cells each.
I highlight each block and copy it. In a templet made long ago in Impress, I have to use ctlr-shift-V and select GDI Metefile. Then I have to press F4, and change Position X, & Y from the defaults of 3.08" & 2.31" to .7 for each. I also change Size Width & Hieght to 14.5, & 7.5.
This makes data fill the slide. Rinse and repeat 18 times per day.
There must be a better method. This is for work, and I am limited to OO 3.3 only. I am not at all knowledgeable in OO. I am a MSO user now forced to use OO3.3 for this daily process. The powers that be will not move to MSO
Any suggestions about how to making these slide faster and easier?
Many thanks!!

[Villeroy]

Create a PDF presentation from the spreadsheet.

[KLund1]

Thanks for the quick reply!!
I see I can export from Calc a PDF. But how to get that into Impress? File open does nothing. Drag and drop crashed Impress several times. I do not see any import menu item. The PDF has all tabs worth of data. I only need just one tab's data
The blocks of cells do not start a Cell A1. The title cells are 4 columns wide but are one cell.
The Impress file is used online from a different network computer.
I think I need further detail on the process.

[Villeroy]

You don't get that into impress. Every PDF reader has a presentation mode. The major difference is that PDF describes printable paper sheets whereas presentation programs are made for screens.
Apply page style "Landscape" to your spreadsheet add some formatting, shapes and color, save as PDF and the result looks nice on every device running some PDF viewer.

[KLund1]

Understood now.
But the 'Boss' wants the Calc data in Impress only. not as a PDF. He is firm in that, for some unchaining reason.
Further suggestions then?
Anyone?
Thanks

[Villeroy]

Get another job. You boss is an idiot.

[RusselB]

Personally, I agree with "the powers that be" regarding not going with MSO.
That said. why are you restricted to using OpenOffice 3.3, which is several versions old.
What operating system are you using? If you're using Windows 7 or 8 (maybe even 10, I don't use or have access to 10 to check), then you could use the Snipping Tool to create a "snip" of your spreadsheet (note: this is limited to what you can see on the screen), then save it as a ,jpg file (the default), then import the .jpg file into Impress
If the data won't fit onto one screen, then you'd have to do this step several times to get all of the data.. which could complicate things.

As this is for your boss, ask him why he's insistent on the data being presented in Impress from Calc? This is a requirement for you to do your job properly, thus you are entitled to an explanation as to why.

Another possibility, that might work, is to save the spreadsheet as a .html file, using File -> Save As... then use Insert-> File and load the saved .html file.

[Hagar Delest]

What about a macro?
You would copy the block from Calc then launch a macro in Impress that pastes as GDI, change position and size and add a new slide to the presentation (or that switches to the next slide if existing).
Still to be repeated 18 times but it should save time.

[Villeroy]

It might be possible with form controls on the presentation which are linked to a database which itself could be linked to a spreadsheet. Same layout with changing data, no copy/paste.

[Villeroy]

Most simple setup with
- a spreadsheet list of 4 columns and 8 rows per numbered set
- a Base document as connector with a parameter query SELECT * FROM "Sheet1" WHERE "SET" = :Enter_Set_No
- an impress document with a database form having one grid control linked to the parameter query.

Installation: Extract the archive with one folder containing 3 documents and register the database document Impress.odb as "Impress" in menu:Tools>Options>OOo Base>Databases.
Every time you load the presentation, you are prompted for a set number (1-8). After the source sheet has been modified, you should restart the whole office suite in order to see the changes on linked documents. This is a limitation of Calc being a pseudo-database.
More sophisticated layouts would be possible with 32 text boxes instead of one grid with 8 columns. DONE! See screenshot and presentation2.odp
A full featured info storage keeping all sets of all days would be possible with a true database instead of the spreadsheet.

Screenshot of slide #1 of 8

[KLund1]

The system I am using is a XP machine. We just got Win 7 on some machines 2 years ago. Ya I know, old. The Bosses do not want to spend money on stuff that still works. Though the whole network in behind a very formidable fire wall. but inside it is full of old machine. I still see one guy using at NT 4.0 machine for some of our database stuff.
There is a A LOT of red tape to get a authorized program upgraded. SO I am stuck with OO3.3 and XP. You all would fall off your chairs if I told you where I work, but I want to keep my job for a while longer.

in Calc; If I do page setup, and set the page breaks between the blocks of cell that make a slide, and that fill a sheet of paper, why dose a copy paste to a blank Impress slide not have the same proportions? The paste is always the same size, about 1/4 of a slide. And it is a blue color with a very small font size. I need it to paste full slide size and black and white. Is there anyway to change default paste perimeters in Impress or OO3.3? Since this is all this machine dose I do not mind changing defaults.

[RusselB]

Did you try my suggestion about exporting to html and then importing the html into Impress?
I don't have 3.3 available right now, nor an XP machine, but I believe those options were available.

[MrProgrammer]

The spreadsheet is made up of 18 blocks of 4x8 cells each. … Then I have to press F4, and change Position X, & Y from the defaults of 3.08" & 2.31" to .7 for each. I also change Size Width & Hieght to 14.5, & 7.5. This makes data fill the slide. … Any suggestions about how to making these slide faster and easier?

Set the cells in Calc so the 4x8 blocks will fill the slide.
• Format → Column → Width → 1.81 (14.5 ÷ 8)
• Format → Row → Height → 1.875 (7.5 ÷ 4)
Now, when you use Paste Special, the data fills the slide without needing to readjust the size each time.

The system I am using is a XP machine. We just got Win 7 on some machines 2 years ago. Ya I know, old. The Bosses do not want to spend money on stuff that still works.

XP is unsupported and does not receive security patches. Does the boss like ransomware? Your company faces legal trouble if there is a problem and it is found guilty of willful neglect. Potentially, the boss faces personal liability as well. Someone should consult with the company's attorney about this situation, maybe you if the boss won't. The XP machine may be safe if it is physically disconnected from the internet, though malware spreads other ways too. I doubt if you can trust XP's firewall for protection. Surely there are well-known and unpatched holes in that.

If this solved your problem please go to your first post use the Edit button and add [Solved] to the start of the title. You can select the green checkmark icon at the same time.