about as simple as it gets or ?

[chris dunn <chris iccqs com>]

> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 22:00:53 +0100
> From: Lutz M?ller <lutz topfrose de>
> Subject: Re: about as simple as it gets or ?

> On Mon, 2009-10-26 at 08:17 -0400, chris dunn wrote:

> > I want to copy a series of positive numbers to a new location.
> >
> > However, when I paste the numbers I would like them to show up as
> > negative instead of positive.
> >
> > Is there an easy way to achieve this short of pasting, and then
> > individually changing the values to negative?  

> I always copy the values, then type somewhere -1, copy it, and
> "special" paste it over the previously copied data with the operation
> "multiply".

> Lutz

> Date: Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:25:05 +1100
> From: Hal Ashburner <hal ashburner gmail com>
> Subject: Re: about as simple as it gets or ?


> Hello!
> Here's one, pretty simple way.

> in sheet 2, cell A1 enter (or whever your data actually starts)
> =-Sheet1!A1

> copy the formula down and then accross for the extent of the data on 
> sheet 1.
> Select then copy it all
> edit->paste special-> check "values"

> now you have a sheet with all the same numbers  but negated that you
> can copy and paste.

> Another way might be to save the data as a csv file then using your 
> favourite scripting solution (perl, python, ruby, shell, haskell?) To 
> read the data then write out a file with the numbers negated.


> I hope this helps.

> Hal

Thanks to both Lutz and Hal for your input. Both methods work well
and are a giant leap forward from changing the individual cells.

-- 

Chris Dunn