InfoQube IM - Community

Submitted by Pierre_Admin on 2009/08/08 01:42

I recently got invited to a sandboxed version of Google Wave. While it is neat, it can get really out of hands when many people work on a wave. But Google deserved +1 for trying something different.

That got me thinking to use Google spreadsheets for wiki type discussions. Advantages:

Better than chat as it works when other users are not logged in
You can see who's there and where each user is on the spreadsheet
Can limit who can edit, or set it wide open to all
Can receive notifications when changes are done, with change highlighting
2-D discussions
Can copy/paste IQ items
Can insert images (must be put on the web first at the moment)
Can copy spreadsheet to a book/blog/forum page
Revision history is saved and can be viewed/restored

It seems like a crazy idea, but hell, if you don't try anything, you don't get anything...

Now, this may be useful for some types of discussions. Forums should be used for most Q&A, for now at least. Also, as this is somewhat like chatting, it would best if we agreed on some convenient meeting time. How about 12h30 EST (16h30 GMT) on weekdays ?

Here is the link to the first spreadsheet: IQ Discussion 1 .

p.s. There are many ways to put images on the web, but one of them is to simply reply to this post and insert your image there. You can then right-click on the image to get the URL and paste that URL into the spreadsheet "Insert Image" dialog.

Comments

I'm not quite sure what I 'm signing up for but I'll do my best to be there @ the appointed time on Monday

Jan Rifkinson

Ridgefield CT USA

HP Blackbird Vista Ultimate SP-2

Summary of Aug 9th chat session:

I was absent, but Mark and Jerome discussed sorting, specifically how to unsort after clicking on a column header.

Sorting follows the following rules:

When you open a grid, the items that belong to the grid are ordered by the Source Bar Sort box. ItemID Ascending is implicitely always present
Sub-items are sorted according to the following rules:
1. If Grid>>Sort criteria applies to sub-items is checked, these will sort as per the Sort box.
2. Otherwise, if a sub-item was manually positioned, then sub-items will be the last displayed order
3. If neither (1) nor (2) apply, sub-items are sorted by itemID
When you click on a column header (or using the sort bar), items and sub-items are sorted. This new sorting is not saved, however,
If you re-order a TLI, this will not be saved as rule 1 above has priority. If you re-order a sub-item, the new order will be saved (rule 2.2 above)

I hope this helps!

I am looking for a better understanding as how items are arranged in a grid when they are Unsorted. I found this post which is very helpful (assuming it is still accurate).

The only part I am not clear about is the 2nd method of "Unsorting" which is:

"Otherwise, if a sub-item was manually positioned, then sub-items will be the last displayed order"

My question is how is this "last displayed order" determined? The order must be retained in a field. If so, what field(s) is/are used?

[quote=Bad Dog]

The only part I am not clear about is the 2nd method of "Unsorting" which is:

"Otherwise, if a sub-item was manually positioned, then sub-items will be the last displayed order"

My question is how is this "last displayed order" determined? The order must be retained in a field. If so, what field(s) is/are used?

[/quote]

Parent - Child links are stored in the ¯Links table and each link has a LinkOrder value

HTH !

Pierre_Admin

IQ Designer

In case we're proceeding with this, I added a sheet to the spreadsheet for Wed Aug 12. The previous tabs were a day off.

[quote=KeithB]

In case we're proceeding with this, I added a sheet to the spreadsheet for Wed Aug 12. The previous tabs were a day off.

[/quote]

I wont be here later today - not sure if you were planning a meeting for today

Am definitely interested in participating though

As I said on the discussion space the other day:

This approach needs some disciplines (saying who is here; topics list). I also suspect that "every weekday" is too frequent - people won't make quite the effort they would if it was, say, twice per week (or at other times by specific arrangement). At least, that's what I suspect.
"

12:30 CEST is 18h30 here in France, when I'm usually travelling home! Once home, seeing as how this is France, I start worrying about food (and sometimes wine!)...

So I'm setting off home now and will definitely miss tonight's slot - we have visitors.

The principle remains great, I should add...

Mark Gregory, Rennes, France - GMT +1/+2; EST +6