Having a comma on the numeric keypad instead of the dot
lobace
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lobace Posted messages 35 Status Membre -
lobace Posted messages 35 Status Membre -
Hello,
on a computer running Windows 10 Pro, I am dismayed to find that the numeric keypad of an extended French PC keyboard has a point instead of a comma (having been used to MacOS for almost 30 years, I never imagined it was possible to do something as stupid as putting a point on the numeric keypad of a French-speaking keyboard, whereas the French-speaking convention is to use a comma as the decimal separator).
This point is a serious handicap when entering numerical data in a spreadsheet (here, for example, in Google Sheets) which does not automatically translate this point into a comma and then considers the numerical data as text.
I searched for 20 minutes, but the advice generally revolves around
- "installing the Belgian comma keyboard": I tried but then the EQUAL sign is replaced by a MINUS, which doesn't help for entering formulas.
- "changing the settings software by software," which would mean doing it for LibreOffice, Excel, and Google Sheets at a minimum; I'm not even sure Google Sheets allows this. My fear is that the problem then reverses when I move to the laptop's smaller keyboard.
How do you, Windows users, manage to efficiently enter decimal values in your various spreadsheet software? Do you keep a finger on the comma of the main keyboard?
Configuration: Windows / Firefox 100.0
on a computer running Windows 10 Pro, I am dismayed to find that the numeric keypad of an extended French PC keyboard has a point instead of a comma (having been used to MacOS for almost 30 years, I never imagined it was possible to do something as stupid as putting a point on the numeric keypad of a French-speaking keyboard, whereas the French-speaking convention is to use a comma as the decimal separator).
This point is a serious handicap when entering numerical data in a spreadsheet (here, for example, in Google Sheets) which does not automatically translate this point into a comma and then considers the numerical data as text.
I searched for 20 minutes, but the advice generally revolves around
- "installing the Belgian comma keyboard": I tried but then the EQUAL sign is replaced by a MINUS, which doesn't help for entering formulas.
- "changing the settings software by software," which would mean doing it for LibreOffice, Excel, and Google Sheets at a minimum; I'm not even sure Google Sheets allows this. My fear is that the problem then reverses when I move to the laptop's smaller keyboard.
How do you, Windows users, manage to efficiently enter decimal values in your various spreadsheet software? Do you keep a finger on the comma of the main keyboard?
Configuration: Windows / Firefox 100.0
3 réponses
Hello,
The problem is not due to the keyboard: the same key in Notepad correctly outputs a dot.
Excel behaves the same way and interprets this dot as a decimal separator even though the comma is specified as such in the options.
On a standard AZERTY keyboard, the dot is obtained by pressing SHIFT on the semicolon key, which is itself above the space bar.
The problem is not due to the keyboard: the same key in Notepad correctly outputs a dot.
Excel behaves the same way and interprets this dot as a decimal separator even though the comma is specified as such in the options.
On a standard AZERTY keyboard, the dot is obtained by pressing SHIFT on the semicolon key, which is itself above the space bar.
Hello Brucine, thank you for your quick response.
The wording of your reply made me realize that my question may not have been clear enough.
I would like to clarify: I want to get a comma when I enter decimal numbers in a spreadsheet using the numeric keypad.
I notice, following your pertinent remarks and after testing, that Excel and LibreOffice Calc have the intelligence to consider this numeric keyboard's point key as a comma when entering a number with decimals. I am relieved.
But in Google Sheets, that is not the case.
Google Sheets does not automatically switch from a point to a comma when entering a decimal number, at least not with Windows (after years of using Google Sheets on Mac, I never encountered this problem).
And according to this recent article (https://thierryvanoffe.com/le-point-et-la-virgule-avec-google-sheets-partie-1-se-premunir-des-erreurs-de-saisie/) and the 3 pages that follow, the problem seems impossible to solve in a sustainable and simple way.
I just did a test with Framacalc, which is also capable of automatically switching. It seems that Google Sheets is quite alone in having this annoying behavior.
The wording of your reply made me realize that my question may not have been clear enough.
I would like to clarify: I want to get a comma when I enter decimal numbers in a spreadsheet using the numeric keypad.
I notice, following your pertinent remarks and after testing, that Excel and LibreOffice Calc have the intelligence to consider this numeric keyboard's point key as a comma when entering a number with decimals. I am relieved.
But in Google Sheets, that is not the case.
Google Sheets does not automatically switch from a point to a comma when entering a decimal number, at least not with Windows (after years of using Google Sheets on Mac, I never encountered this problem).
And according to this recent article (https://thierryvanoffe.com/le-point-et-la-virgule-avec-google-sheets-partie-1-se-premunir-des-erreurs-de-saisie/) and the 3 pages that follow, the problem seems impossible to solve in a sustainable and simple way.
I just did a test with Framacalc, which is also capable of automatically switching. It seems that Google Sheets is quite alone in having this annoying behavior.
Yes, I'm sorry, I approached the problem from the wrong angle.
Or the consequences of Google and American imperialism?
Of all the solutions considered, none is really feasible; the quickest would probably be automatic correction, but this would either go through an automatic correction dictionary (which is only available in word processors, in principle), or why not through a keyboard macro (remapping via AutoIt Hotkey, through the registry...), but the points of certain functions would be read as commas unless you use the "other" point key.
The most obvious solution is to use the "real" comma, which is also above the space bar, but it's disturbing unless you also enter numbers from the central area of the keyboard (and requiring typing lessons and juggling with the Shift key).
Or the consequences of Google and American imperialism?
Of all the solutions considered, none is really feasible; the quickest would probably be automatic correction, but this would either go through an automatic correction dictionary (which is only available in word processors, in principle), or why not through a keyboard macro (remapping via AutoIt Hotkey, through the registry...), but the points of certain functions would be read as commas unless you use the "other" point key.
The most obvious solution is to use the "real" comma, which is also above the space bar, but it's disturbing unless you also enter numbers from the central area of the keyboard (and requiring typing lessons and juggling with the Shift key).