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It makes more sense if you consider the file format for iWorks used Document Packages ( https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/CoreFoundation

by dagmx 5y ago

It makes more sense if you consider the file format for iWorks used Document Packages ( https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/CoreFoundation/Conceptual/CFBundles/DocumentPackages/DocumentPackages.html https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/documentation/Co... ) So this single file setup is actually a conversion of how a multi file directory structure would have been. The choice of a document package makes sense when you see how even a spreadsheet might embed media etc... But synchronization applications like Box fail to handle packages even today so moving to a single container file allows keeping a lot of the old parsing code intact while achieving better support for things that prefer single files.

Telemakhos 5y ago
> even a spreadsheet might embed media This is not the only thing wrong in the world, but it is one of the things wrong in the world.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- AlotOfReading 5y ago
  That includes things like graphs and charts, which seem pretty reasonable to have in a spreadsheet.
  - gspr 5y ago
    But surely those can be generated from the spreadsheet data?
    - xxpor 5y ago
      How long has the file format been around? That may not have been reasonable 20 years ago.
- dagmx 5y ago
  It lets you create presentation materials with your dataset without exporting to a keynote etc.. https://images.app.goo.gl/eigVnbYKQXpyV5JP6 https://images.app.goo.gl/eigVnbYKQXpyV5JP6
fnord123 5y ago
This seems really straight forward in sqlite. CREATE TABLE cells (sheet TEXT NOT NULL, x TEXT NOT NULL, y INTEGER NOT NULL, content TEXT, PRIMARY KEY (sheet, x, y)) Content can be text, numbers, formulas, or a reference to a media collection containing blobs. You can also pull the sheet out to a reference, etc. You could also do some cheeky stuff like making an rtree index to manage the visible cells so you only need to evaluate those in view for a quicker first paint.
- dagmx 5y ago
  Yes, you could do it in any number of ways with a rewrite, but the point is that the format is likely as close to a 1:1 encoding of the document package.

by dagmx 5y ago

Telemakhos 5y ago

> even a spreadsheet might embed media This is not the only thing wrong in the world, but it is one of the things wrong in the world.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
AlotOfReading 5y ago
That includes things like graphs and charts, which seem pretty reasonable to have in a spreadsheet.
- gspr 5y ago
  But surely those can be generated from the spreadsheet data?
  - xxpor 5y ago
    How long has the file format been around? That may not have been reasonable 20 years ago.
dagmx 5y ago
It lets you create presentation materials with your dataset without exporting to a keynote etc.. https://images.app.goo.gl/eigVnbYKQXpyV5JP6 https://images.app.goo.gl/eigVnbYKQXpyV5JP6

fnord123 5y ago

This seems really straight forward in sqlite. CREATE TABLE cells (sheet TEXT NOT NULL, x TEXT NOT NULL, y INTEGER NOT NULL, content TEXT, PRIMARY KEY (sheet, x, y)) Content can be text, numbers, formulas, or a reference to a media collection containing blobs. You can also pull the sheet out to a reference, etc. You could also do some cheeky stuff like making an rtree index to manage the visible cells so you only need to evaluate those in view for a quicker first paint.

dagmx 5y ago
Yes, you could do it in any number of ways with a rewrite, but the point is that the format is likely as close to a 1:1 encoding of the document package.