Spreadsheet that starts 'empty' and grows as you enter data - is there such a beast?

[Chris Green]

On Thu, Mar 14, 2013 at 01:04:43PM -0600, Wes James wrote:
>    On Thu, Mar 14, 2013 at 12:10 PM, Chris Green <[1]cl at isbd.net> wrote:
> 
>      I'm after a spreadsheet that starts in a sort of minimal mode and that
>      you have to grow as you enter data.
> 
>      I just want five columns and one or more rows with the number of rows
>      simply increasing as you enter more data.
> 
>      I don't want zillions of empty columns and rows (or hidden 'tables') and
>      I don't really want big complex toolbars either.
> 
>      Can anyone suggest anything that might fulfil this need?
> 
>    Google Docs spreadsheet?? Start with A-T columns and 1-100 rows, but you
>    can delete them and add as you need them.  I just deleted down to column A
>    and row 1.  Down at the bottom you can click and add what you need or
>    right-click add rows/columns as you need them.
> 
>    Why do you think there are lots of empty rows/columns - in the saved
>    file.  Just because you see a bunch doesn't mean they are all being saved
>    in the spreadsheet file.  I.e., MS Excel shows you bunch of rows and
>    columns, but if you save it with a few cells of data, it's not going to
>    save a ton of dead cells.
> 
I don't care about the waste of space, I just don't want to *see* them.

>    A blank xslx I just saved on a mac is 26k.
>    Numbers on a mac starts out with M columns and 45 rows, but when saved
>    (blank spreadsheet) it is 85k.
>    Gnumeric on xubuntu it appears to be IV columns by ~65000 rows (all the
>    way right then scrolled all the way down), but when it is saved, it's only
>    1.6k
> 
>    Why do the rows columns bug you?  Does it really matter?

Yes, because it makes it more difficult to see the data.  Where there
are only actually five coumns and a dozen or so rows all that other junk
is distracting.

As I commented above all I really want is a way to *hide* unwanted rows
and columns.

-- 
Chris Green