To process both single cells and larger regions from the same function, we need to adjust our approach to accommodate both types of input. Here’s how you can achieve this:
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Input Processing: Modify the function to accept a list of cell references and regions. Single cells will be treated as regions with the same start and end points.
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Normalization: Convert all inputs, whether single cells or regions, into a uniform format of numeric coordinates representing the top-left and bottom-right corners of each region.
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Merging: Apply the same merging logic as before to these numeric regions.
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Output Conversion: Convert the numeric coordinates of merged regions back into Excel notation.
Let’s integrate these steps into a single function:
def cell_or_region_to_coords(input_ref):
"""Convert Excel cell or region reference to numeric coordinates."""
start_ref, end_ref = input_ref.split(':')
start_ref = end_ref = input_ref
start_coords = excel_to_coords(start_ref)
end_coords = excel_to_coords(end_ref)
return start_coords, end_coords
def merge_cells_and_regions(inputs):
# Convert all inputs to numeric coordinates.
numeric_regions = [cell_or_region_to_coords(input_ref) for input_ref in inputs]
# Sort and prepare for merging. This example will not reimplement the merging logic,
# but it should follow the principles outlined previously.
numeric_regions.sort(key=lambda x: (x[0][0], x[0][1]))
# Implement merging logic here, similar to merge_quad_regions, adapted as necessary.
merged_numeric_regions = merge_quad_regions(numeric_regions) # Placeholder for actual merging logic.
# Convert merged numeric regions back to Excel notation.
merged_excel_regions = [f"{coords_to_excel(*start)}:{coords_to_excel(*end)}" if start != end else coords_to_excel(*start) for start, end in merged_numeric_regions]
return merged_excel_regions
# This utility function assumes the existence of excel_to_coords and coords_to_excel,
# which you need to define or reuse from earlier examples.
inputs = ["A1", "B1:C2", "D3", "A4:B5"] # Mixed single cells and regions in Excel notation.
merged_regions = merge_cells_and_regions(inputs)
In this integrated approach, the key is the cell_or_region_to_coords function, which interprets both single cells and regions uniformly as coordinate pairs. This allows the merging logic (which you should adapt based on the specifics of how you want regions to be merged) to operate on a consistent data format.
Note: The placeholder merge_quad_regions should be replaced with the actual implementation of your merging logic, which might involve both horizontal and vertical checks and potentially additional steps to handle single cells effectively. This approach ensures that all types of input are normalized to a format that facilitates merging, after which they are converted back into the appropriate Excel notation.