dialog box and window behavior when editingWord chart data in excel

[tad]

Is there no way to stop the dialog box from freezing my ability to resize or move the underlying window until the dialog box has received its answer eg. return or cancel - I DO NOT FIND IT A DESIRABLE FEATURE

For example when I chose "Chart Data: Edit in Excel" for a chart in Word up pops the excel sheet (great) but it is expanded to three panes (even when the whole file contains only one table of data and regardless of how other excel sheets display or any setting I can find) - WHY and How do I undo this "feature" - it fills the screen and will not resize or move aside until I have selected what I want to do from the "Select Data Source" dialog box. I cannot see my other windows in order to decide what choice I desire - for example "switch rows and columns" other than by simply hiding the excel sheet. I should like to see the chart at the same time as the dialog box and try both options without having to go through several iterations of shrinking the three pane window.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE TWO BEHAVIORS ARE CONNECTED SINCE dialogue boxes seize the underlying windows -- they have too much priority for TOO LITTLE REASON -- IT APPEARS THAT A PROGRAMER HAS DECIDED FOR ME THAT THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET SHOULD OPEN THREE PANES WIDE JUST IN CASE I NEED IT AND THREE PANES IS A PRECAUTION - THEY MAY BE NEEDED AND THERE NOTHING WE CAN DO - OR IS THERE !
I am not a big Microsoft user but I have long been aware of this dialog box feature. Is there a way to get rid of this classic "misbehavior" (from my point of view), I would like to decide when I wish to make a decision on a dialogue box - perhaps I wish to consult several other windows before deciding.

IN OTHER PROGRAMS DIALOG BOXES WAIT UNTIL YOU ANSWER THEM AND LET YOU DO OTHER THINGS UNTIL YOU HAVE DECIDED WHAT YOU WANT TO DO - even if you cannot edit in the associated window you can move it or hide or resize it. IF THE CORE PROBLEM IS DIALOG BOXES FREEZING ALL PARAMETERS OF THE UNDERLYING WINDOW THE SOLUTION IS TO REMOVE THIS FEATURE OR SIMPLY PREVENT EDITING NOT MOVING AND RESIZING but if this is impossible or undesirable for some reason I do not comprehend I would still love to be able to reduce the response to "Chart Data: Edit in Excel" to a one pane excel spreadsheet popping up when you choose to edit chart data from Word.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Is there no way to stop the dialog box from freezing my ability to resize or
move the underlying window until the dialog box has received its answer eg.
return or cancel - I DO NOT FIND IT A DESIRABLE FEATURE

No. Mac Office dialogs are modal, which means they have to be dismissed
before they allow general interaction with the app.

<br><br>For example
when I chose "Chart Data: Edit in Excel" for a chart in Word up pops the
excel sheet (great) but it is expanded to three panes (even when the whole
file contains only one table of data and regardless of how other excel sheets
display or any setting I can find) - WHY and How do I undo this "feature"

The XL worksheet will be displayed all the way across your screen
regardless, but you can choose which *view* you see by choosing
Preferences/View *in XL*, and choosing the view from the "Preferred view
for new sheets" dropdown. You r choices are:

"Page Layout" view has the "3 panes" - they're actually just displaying
how the worksheet will print

"Normal" view displays just cells, not margins/header/footer, etc

it fills the screen and will not resize or move aside until I have selected
what I want to do from the "Select Data Source" dialog box. I cannot see my
other windows in order to decide what choice I desire - for example "switch
rows and columns" other than by simply hiding the excel sheet. I should like
to see the chart at the same time as the dialog box and try both options
without having to go through several iterations of shrinking the three pane
window.<br><br>IT LOOKS LIKE THE TWO BEHAVIORS ARE CONNECTED SINCE dialogue
boxes seize the underlying windows -- they have too much priority for TOO
LITTLE REASON -- IT APPEARS THAT A PROGRAMER HAS DECIDED FOR ME THAT THE
EXCEL SPREADSHEET SHOULD OPEN THREE PANES WIDE JUST IN CASE I NEED IT AND
THREE PANES IS A PRECAUTION - THEY MAY BE NEEDED AND THERE NOTHING WE CAN DO
- OR IS THERE ! <br>

Again, it's just one *sheet* wide.

But I absolutely agree that there's no need to spread it across the
entire screen!

Please use Word's Help/Send Feedback on Word menu item to tell Microsoft
that this should be changed.

I am not a big Microsoft user but I have long been aware of this dialog box
feature. Is there a way to get rid of this classic "misbehavior" (from my
point of view), I would like to decide when I wish to make a decision on a
dialogue box - perhaps I wish to consult several other windows before
deciding. <br><br>IN OTHER PROGRAMS DIALOG BOXES WAIT UNTIL YOU ANSWER THEM
AND LET YOU DO OTHER THINGS UNTIL YOU HAVE DECIDED WHAT YOU WANT TO DO - even
if you cannot edit in the associated window you can move it or hide or resize
it. IF THE CORE PROBLEM IS DIALOG BOXES FREEZING ALL PARAMETERS OF THE
UNDERLYING WINDOW THE SOLUTION IS TO REMOVE THIS FEATURE OR SIMPLY PREVENT
EDITING NOT MOVING AND RESIZING but if this is impossible or undesirable for
some reason I do not comprehend I would still love to be able to reduce the
response to "Chart Data: Edit in Excel" to a one pane excel spreadsheet
popping up when you choose to edit chart data from Word.

Non-modal dialog windows have been a long-asked-for feature in MacOffice
apps. Given how thoroughly embedded in 20-plus-year-old code they are, I
don't have any idea how difficult changing them to non-modal would be,
but please use Help/Send Feedback to let MS know you want this feature!