Basic calculation in Tables

[Maik Schurrer 39]

I would love to have the possiblity to make simple calculations (sum, multiplication, ...) in the tables.

[Mateus Leoni 3]

UPVOTE!!!

Its absurd that this is not a feature!

[agsteele 3,069]

I could say that it is absurd to expect a note taking application to be a spreadsheet. If you want a spreadsheet you could use the ability to embed a Google Sheet...

[kenonu 8]

Yes would be very helpful to have this! 

[PRConsultant 3]

As a developer myself I ask Evernote, how hard can this be to implement?  Come on people.  IT IS a necessary feature or at the very least, a very convenient one that doesn't add too much code to the app.  If in the future people get too cocky about requesting more math functions you can always say no, but basic calculations are a most.  Please.........

[PinkElephant 8,992]

Currently the table is a plain formatting element, without any logical component.

You can drop anything into a table, and it will swallow it. When you start to add functional elements, a whole new set of requirements arises, like defining and checking content type for matching types of content, depending on the nature of the formula one wants to employ. If you want to have a simple SUM formula, all arguments need to be numbers, no text, no picture, no audio clips - all this and more can be placed into a table right now.

Which tells the answer: No, it far from trivial - which even a self acclaimed developer should understand. The current way to get around this feature gap is to insert a table created with the right program (Excel / Numbers / LibreOffice Calc etc.).

[PRConsultant 3]

53 minutes ago, PinkElephant said:

Currently the table is a plain formatting element, without any logical component.

You can drop anything into a table, and it will swallow it. When you start to add functional elements, a whole new set of requirements arises, like defining and checking content type for matching types of content, depending on the nature of the formula one wants to employ. If you want to have a simple SUM formula, all arguments need to be numbers, no text, no picture, no audio clips - all this and more can be placed into a table right now.

Which tells the answer: No, it far from trivial - which even a self acclaimed developer should understand. The current way to get around this feature gap is to insert a table created with the right program (Excel / Numbers / LibreOffice Calc etc.).

Where there's a will there's a way.  It may be difficult or it may be easy, you won't know until you try it.  Another user suggested creating a new table type for this.  I think it is something to ponder on.  Why is it that some people who should be on the user-side of the equation make all of this excuses on behalf of the developer and furthermore enjoy attacking other commenters?    Adding Excel is a great addition which I had forgotten I could use since it is not obvious - by this I mean it is not in any menu.  Still, you have to get out of Evernote to create a new document and then drag and drop into Evernote.  Granted, you will have tons more of funcionality than that which Evernote could ever implement into the app.

You don't have to evaluate contents to such a great level.  Excel uses the '=' equal sign to enable formulas in a cell, Evernote could do something alike in place of evaluating every cell.  Just some basic calculations at row, column, and cell level.  A new table-type sounds like a good idea.  One that only does the basic formatting stuff plus the calc.  

A little brainstorming here instead of attacking other people for a change.  Who knows, I will maybe stick with the Excel option...I don't know....  still some basic calc would be great.
 

[PinkElephant 8,992]

Currently tables is a tool to create a HTML format that holds content in a structured way.

It's format, not logic.

If in the future the approach will be altered to logical tables with some functions, time will tell. I doubt it is anywhere high on the backlog, if at all.

[Babis1215 9]

I would say that a very good way of table implementation with some calculations has craft.do

Tables and numbers is a daily and vital part in the note taking space. Especially for those of us using Evernote daily in a work environment and not just storing documents

[PinkElephant 8,992]

If you think it’s important for you, you can wait (probably for a long time, the initial feature request on this is years old), use a workaround or an app that does what you need.

Sometimes you can’t have it all, my mother said in front of the candy store.

[Laimonas 9]

Hi I would disagree with absurd-stamp on this request

note taking app is ALREADY more than note taking app, - it has task management, it has tables, it has many other bells and whisles. The table feature is already there, all we need is some simple, most used formulas like sum, count, - for the calculation prototype.

If you want a full blown calculation - you copy paste to excel and continue. Just same as you copy paste text and continue in word if you need f.e. serial letter, or copy paste a sketch and continue in power point. 

It is the beauty of a digital note taking tool, that it becomes an universal mean of any drafts and notes!

[stcps 0]

+1 vote
absurd that this feature is still not valid

[MT8 2]

Come on, lets make it happen, otherwise you will start loosing users to Notion

[PRConsultant 3]

It can even be an add-on module.  Those who area against the feature because they fear the software would become bigger and slower can decide not to install it.  

[PinkElephant 8,992]

Up to now, EN does not support add-ons.

If you are a fan of it, move to Obsidian.

[PRConsultant 3]

So you are saying that because EN has never supported add-ons it'll never do. 

I think it would be smart to have almost any kind of software support add-ons.

Nevertheless, I haven't heard of Obsidian so I will check it out.

[agsteele 3,069]

Well done for keeping up the advocacy for spreadsheet functions in an Evernote table. Since this thread dates back to 2017, I think it is safe to assume that it isn't on any development plan. Feel free to keep up the advocacy, just don't expect any changes to the way things are.

[PRConsultant 3]

You know, people still play the lottery every week and even daily.

I can always hope.  

[PinkElephant 8,992]

You can surely hope for a lottery win.

If I need something to work, I prefer to use a tool that is up to the job - now.

EN tables have very useful aspects, now, in this moment. Basic math is not among them.

[D300 0]

this is a crucial feature !
i do my project management, lets say life management in evernote. its my external brain.
i do all my working logs in there and every month i´m summing my hours for each project... huge pain.

if this is not changing soon i will move to Notion... and probably will be there forever, and i´m using evernote since starting my bachelor that was 2012. 

i even just thought about programming something that reads out the evernote tables via evernote API and populates all data in a googlesheet ... 
i just want to keep my "project management frontend" tight.

 

[jose_note 0]

seriously want it

[PinkElephant 8,992]

Currently tables are a passive HTML formatting element. I doubt that active functionality like calculations will be added to them.

This would require an add on, like a browser extension. 

[matiasavila88@gmail.com 0]

hace 6 minutos, PinkElephant dijo:

Actualmente las tablas son un elemento de formato HTML pasivo. Dudo que se les agreguen funciones activas como cálculos.

Esto requeriría un complemento, como una extensión del navegador. 

Sea como sea, lo necesitamos!

[Mike P 3,056]

Surely with the ability to embed  Excel files in notes now being available for all users this thread is dead. It might be more profitable to get EN to accept that some fields can be longer than 8 or 9 characters.

[acano4i 0]

In 2024, I am using EverNote to organize my PhD. I would like to compute a percentage of my Story Points done in a week over the total and it would be very useful to do it directly on EverNote instead of a table from Excel. Thanks.